midnight
A store of wood , the result of their ship-building operations , was piled in the bow . Stephen did not trouble to cook , but boiled some water over some chips of wood , made himself a cup of coffee , or rather the half of a small gourd of coffee , ate a melon and a biscuit , and presently went up on deck again . At three o'clock a light breeze sprung up , and this , an hour later , strengthened to a heavy blow . Stephen sailed on until midnight , then reefed the mainsail and fastened the boom amidships , lowered the foresail and hauled the jib to weather , and having thus laid the cutter head to wind lay down on the deck and slept soundly until daybreak . The next day he passed two or three islands , but all at a considerable distance . Beyond these no land was visible , and he hoped that he was fairly beyond the Archipelago with its hostile natives . Day after day passed without incident .