12:53 in the
morning
However , near midnight it disappeared , or to use a more appropriate expression , `` it went out , '' like a huge glowworm . Had it fled from us ? We were duty bound to fear so rather than hope so . But at 12:53 in the morning , a deafening hiss became audible , resembling the sound made by a waterspout expelled with tremendous intensity . By then Commander Farragut , Ned Land , and I were on the afterdeck , peering eagerly into the profound gloom . `` Ned Land , '' the commander asked , `` you 've often heard whales bellowing ? '' `` Often , sir , but never a whale like this , whose sighting earned me $ 2,000.00 . ''