midday
But Melannie showed no fear of him ; in , her delight at being with me upon the ocean away from the savages , among whom she had been reared , she seemed to have forgotten his presence . For the next week after leaving what had been once the Island of Gems , we experienced a spell of fine weather , with bright sun and cool breeze . The elements seemed kind to the exiled queen without a throne , who had trusted herself to the wind and the sea , and but for the anxiety which I felt for the future , the voyage would have been a pleasant one . In order to protect Melannie from the heat of midday , and to ensure her some measure of privacy , I constructed a temporary cabin for her , with some spare canvas which I found on board the boat , but at night she preferred to sleep in the open so that she might watch the stars , which shone with extraordinary brilliancy . It was then that I lowered the sails when our boat drifted upon the moonlit sea . Melannie would at such times creep into my arms , and with her head pillowed upon , my breast would listen to the wonders I had to tell of the world of white people to which I hoped I was taking her . `` Something warns me I shall never see that country , Peter , '' she said to me one night with a sigh , `` but I like to hear you speak of it .