the eight hours since noon
She went floundering towards it like an exhausted creature driven to its death . The coppery twilight retired slowly , and the darkness brought out overhead a swarm of unsteady , big stars , that , as if blown upon , flickered exceedingly and seemed to hang very near the earth . At eight o'clock Jukes went into the chart-room to write up the ship 's log . He copies neatly out of the rough-book the number of miles , the course of the ship , and in the column for `` wind '' scrawled the word `` calm '' from top to bottom of the eight hours since noon . He was exasperated by the continuous , monotonous rolling of the ship . The heavy inkstand would slide away in a manner that suggested perverse intelligence in dodging the pen . Having written in the large space under the head of `` Remarks '' `` Heat very oppressive , '' he stuck the end of the penholder in his teeth , pipe fashion , and mopped his face carefully .