About midnight
It was the duty of two other men to dip it out of these tanks into casks , which were then headed up by our cooper , and stowed away in the hold . As the night advanced the fires became redder and brighter by contrast , the light shone and glittered on the decks , and , as we plied our dirty work , I could not help thinking , `` what _ would _ my mother say , if she could get a peep at me now ? '' The ship 's crew worked and slept by watches , for the fires were not allowed to go out all night . About midnight I sat down on the windlass to take a short rest , and began talking to one of the men , Fred Borders by name . He was one of the quietest and most active men in the ship , and , being quite a young man , not more than nineteen , he and I drew to one another , and became very intimate . `` I think we 're goin ' to have a breeze , Bob , '' said he , as a sharp puff of wind crossed the deck , driving the black smoke to leeward , and making the fire flare up in the try-works . `` I hope it wo n't be a storm , then , '' said I , `` for it will oblige us to put out the fires . ''