midnight
He was , however , soon rescued and placed in safety , and then but three natives and Harvey and Oliver remained on board . The natives went first , the white men quickly followed , and clambered into the boat , which at once joined the two others , and then all three lay to , and their occupants watched the _ Motutapu _ drifting before the wind , with the red flames enveloping her from stern to stem . ***** Ordering the other boats to remain close to him until further orders , but to steer W. by N. if anything should part them from him during the night , Oliver and Harvey , as they watched the burning steamer lighting up the heaving sea for miles around , discussed their future plans , and quickly resolved upon a certain course of action to be followed in the morning . Towards midnight the wind died away entirely , and an hour later the heavy , lumpy sea changed into a long , sweeping swell . A mile to leeward the _ Motutafu _ still blazed fiercely , and sent up vast volumes of smoke and flame from her forehold , where some hundreds of cases of kerosene were stowed . The three boats were pretty close together , and Harvey , exhausted by the events of the day , and knowing that Tessa was safe with the second mate , was just dozing off into a `` monkey 's sleep '' when he was awakened by a hail from Atkins . `` What 's the matter , Atkins ? ''