About two o'clock in the morning
Neither Pencroft , Spilett , nor Herbert thought of taking an hour 's sleep . They kept a sharp look-out , for either Lincoln Island could not be far distant and would be sighted at daybreak , or the _ Bonadventure _ , carried away by currents , had drifted so much that it would be impossible to rectify her course . Pencroft , uneasy to the last degree , yet did not despair , for he had a gallant heart , and grasping the tiller he anxiously endeavoured to pierce the darkness which surrounded them . About two o'clock in the morning he started forward , -- `` A light ! a light ! '' he shouted . Indeed , a bright light appeared twenty miles to the north-east .