twelve o'clock
Well might Mark and Bob rejoice in the great feat they had just performed . That night it blew so heavily as to leave little doubt that the ship never could have been kept at her anchor , outside ; and had she struck adrift in the darkness nothing could have saved them from almost immediate destruction . The rollers came down in tremendous billows , breaking and roaring on all sides of the island , rendering the sea white with their foam , even at midnight ; but , on reaching the massive , natural wall that protected the Rancocus , they dashed themselves into spray against it , wetting the vessel from her truck down , but doing her no injury . Mark remained on deck until past twelve o'clock , when finding that the gale was already breaking , he turned in and slept soundly until morning . As for Bob , he had taken his watch below early in the evening , and there he remained undisturbed until the appearance of day , when he turned out of his own accord . Mark took another look at the sea , reefs and islands , from the main-topmast cross-trees of the ship , as she lay in her new berth . Of course , the range of his vision was somewhat altered by this change of position , and especially did he see a greater distance to the westward , or towards the lee side of the reefs .