about midnight
Some we confined forward -- some in the after-cabin ; and most fortunate it was that we did so . It was some time before all our arrangements were made . About an hour before dark we tacked , to stand inshore again , Waller intending , should we not fall in with the brig , to shape a course for Sierra Leone . We tacked again about midnight ; but when daylight came , not a sign was there of the _ Opossum _ ; and , accordingly , towards the above-mentioned place we steered . We had the pinnace in tow ; but we had taken the gun out of her , and placed it amidships on the deck of the schooner . Overcome with fatigue , Waller had thrown himself down aft , wrapped up in his blanket , while I stood near him , with my eyes winking , and trying in vain to be wide awake , when I was startled by the cry of `` A sail on the weather-bow ! '' `` Which way is she standing ? ''