midnight
Stand out o ' the way , Bill , the Pirit King wants to go on deck . '' Bill moved aside as the boy went to the ladder , and allowing him to get up four or five steps , did the rest for him with his shoulder . The boy reached the deck on all fours , and , regaining a more dignified position as soon as possible , went and leaned over the side , regarding with lofty contempt the busy drudges on wharf and river . They sailed at midnight and brought up in the early dawn in Longreach , where a lighter loaded with barrels came alongside , and the boy smelt romance and mystery when he learnt that they contained powder . They took in ten tons , the lighter drifted away , the hatches were put on , and they started once more . It was his first voyage , and he regarded with eager interest the craft passing up and down . He had made his peace with the seamen , and they regaled him with blood-curdling stories of their adventures , in the vain hope of horrifying him .