Noon
To them it seemed an augury of safety . A satisfactory observation was taken , the exact longitude was obtained , at noon they would find the true latitude , and then , should Virginia Island have been laid down correctly , they might steer with confidence towards it . According to the chart , it was still to the eastward , and might , if the ship had not run too far south , be sighted before night . Noon was anxiously waited for . The crew continued labouring away with the same energy as before , though in the case of some it was the energy of despair . Again Adair took his place in the line of men passing the buckets up and down . Still all their efforts did not avail to lessen the amount of water within the ship , but they kept it from increasing -- that was something .