two o'clock
Even Captain Williams thought we must be passing that rock at the rate of fifteen knots ! It was noon , and there was no abatement in the tempest , no change in the current , no means of returning , no chance of stopping ; away we were driven , like events ruled by fate . The only change was the gradual clearing up of the atmosphere , as we receded from the ocean , and got farther removed from its mists and spray . Perhaps the power of the gale had , in a small degree , abated , by two o'clock , and it would have been possible to carry some short sail ; but there being no sea to injure us , it was unnecessary , and the ship continued to drive ahead , under bare poles . Night was the time to dread . There was , now , but one opinion among us , and that was this : -- we thought the ship had entered one of the passages that intersect Terra del Fuego , and that there was the chance of soon finding a lee , as these channels were known to be very irregular and winding . To run in the night seemed impossible ; nor was it desirable , as it was almost certain we should be compelled to return by the way we had entered , to extricate ourselves from the dangers of so intricate a navigation .