two o'clock in the morning
You will also be pleased to remember that the boats are to keep company as long as the weather will permit , unless otherwise ordered by me . And now , as I do not intend to make a start until to-morrow morning , you had better arrange the watches in each boat , and secure all the rest that you can . '' This very sensible recommendation was at once adopted all round ; but , as far as the gig was concerned , sleep appeared to be out of the question , the strong glare of light from the burning ship -- although the boats had hauled off to a distance of fully half a mile from her -- and , still more , the novelty and excitement of our situation , seeming to have completely banished slumber from our eyelids . At length , toward two o'clock in the morning -- by which time the Indiaman had become the mere shell of a ship , a blazing furnace from stem to stern , -- a light breeze sprang up from the north-north-east , almost dead in our teeth for the voyage to the Azores ; and the order was passed along for the boats to set their sails and make short reaches , for the purpose of maintaining their position near the ship . This was done , and then the only bad quality that the boats appeared to possess rapidly declared itself . They were , one and all , staunch , well-built , and finely-modelled boats , excellently adapted for their work in all respects save one , which , in the present case , was of very great importance : their keels were so shallow that they had no grip of the water ; and the result of this was that , as we quickly discovered , they would not turn to windward . The gig , which had been built with an especial eye to speed , was the least serious offender in this respect ; indeed , so long as the water remained smooth , we managed to hold our own with her , and a trifle to spare ; the long-boat , probably from her size and superior depth of body , came next ; but the others sagged away to leeward from the first , despite the utmost efforts of those in charge ; and , consequently , in order to remain in company , we were obliged to bear up and run down to them .