noon
Anyhow , make a fight for it , my boy . Now we 'll have a snack of something to eat , and then for another spell at the pumps . '' By this time a feeling of despair had seized the crew , and but for fear of the captain 's pistol they would have stopped work in a body . However , he kept them at it , and towards noon the tempest ceased almost as suddenly as it had begun . The gale dropped to a steady breeze , and the surface of the ocean became comparatively calm . The change cheered us ; we looked on it as a good omen , and toiled at the pumps even harder than before . We could not lessen the quantity of water , but for a time we kept it from gaining , and a germ of hope crept back into our hearts .