midnight
He would find Agatha Redmond at any cost , if she were aboard the _ Jeanne D'Arc _ . Again he thought to himself that he was glad he was there . Whatever purpose her enemies had , he alone was on her side , he alone could do something to save her . It was now long past midnight , but not pitch dark either on deck or on the sea . The electric lights had gone out long before , but lanterns had been swung here and there from the deck fixtures . As Jimmy came up , he thought the men were preparing to lower the boats , but when he asked about it in his difficult French , the sailor shook his head . There were more people about than he supposed the yacht carried : several seamen , three or four other men , and a fat woman sitting apathetically on a pile of rope .