twelve o'clock
They knew that they could trust to the captain , as far as skill or courage could avail them , and sailors are too sanguine to despair , even at the last moment . As for myself , I felt such admiration for the captain , after what I had witnessed that morning , that , whenever the idea came over me , that in all probability I should be lost in a few hours , I could not help acknowledging how much more serious it was that such a man should be lost to his country . I do not intend to say that it consoled me ; but it certainly made me still more regret the chances with which we were threatened . Before twelve o'clock , the rocky point which we so much dreaded was in sight , broad on the lee-bow ; and if the low sandy coast appeared terrible , how much more did this , even at a distance : the black masses of rock , covered with foam , which each minute dashed up in the air , higher than our lower mast-heads . The captain eyed it for some minutes in silence , as if in calculation . `` Mr Falcon , '' said he at last , `` we must put the mainsail on her . '' `` She never can bear it , sir . ''