about midnight
Flashes of lightning , brighter than I had ever before beheld , darted from the sky and lighted up the sea . Even the night scarcely added to the horrors of those moments , as far as we were concerned , though it must have done so to the miserable people still within the precincts of the town . At one time the water seemed to recede altogether out of the bay , but presently , as if gathered up in a heap , it once more rolled over the land . Hour after hour went by , till about midnight , almost as suddenly as it had commenced , the hurricane passed away from us on its devastating course ; and in a short time , excepting the roar of the surf upon the shore , scarcely a sound was heard . On this we set out for the barracks , hoping that they had withstood the tempest . Although they had suffered considerably , the larger portion had escaped . Mr Martin and his wife and daughter warmly expressed their gratitude to us for having rescued them from their perilous position , saying that they must have perished had we not come to their assistance .