midnight
This was all very well during the daytime , but when in the night-watches the men were hustled incessantly about the decks , taking a pull here , there , and everywhere at the halliards , sheets , and braces of the already fully distended and accurately trimmed sails , only to be ordered a few minutes later to ease up the lee braces half an inch and take a pull upon the weather ones ; or alternately stowing and setting the `` flying kites '' or light upper canvas , they could not help seeing that these things were done less from zeal and anxiety to make a quick passage than for the purpose of indulging a spiteful and malicious temper . At length a crisis arrived . The ship was at the time somewhere about the latitude of the Cape ; stretching to the southward and eastward close-hauled , with a fine steady breeze from east-north-east . It was the second mate 's eight hours out that night , and although the weather was beautifully fine , with a clear sky , full moon , and steady breeze , he had been indulging in his usual vagaries throughout the last two hours of the first watch -LRB- he never attempted anything out of the common when Captain Staunton or any of the passengers were on deck , as some of them generally were until midnight -RRB- , and he began them again within a quarter of an hour of coming on deck at 4 a.m. . The royals were set when he took charge of the deck , and these he had separately clewed up and furled , as well as one or two of the smaller stay-sails . He allowed the men just time enough to settle down comfortably , and then ordered the recently stowed sails to be loosed and set again , which was done . A short interval passed , and then he had the royals stowed once more , and finally he ordered them to be loosed and set again .