midnight
In an atmosphere of suspense the long afternoon dragged into evening . Every effort to free the vessel had been tried , but to no avail . Evening mess was served amid an oppressive silence varied only by the valiant efforts of bluff Bill Witt to stir a bit of confidence in his mates . Another and final effort to get away was to be tried at midnight with high tide . And then -- if nothing availed -- the boys knew full well that with the morning Lieutenant McClure would resort to some drastic measures . Efforts at sleep were futile for the most part , although dauntless spirits like Bill Witt and Mike Mowrey turned in as usual and dozed away as peacefully as though no danger existed . Midnight and high tide kindled fresh hopes as `` Little Mack '' steeled himself for a last try with the _ Dewey 's _ hardworked engines .