about three in the morning
On the previous trip the schooner had approached the island from a different angle , but the men were swift to acknowledge the glow of the volcano as the expected landfall . Lund remained on deck , and it was late before any of the crew turned in . Rainey , during his watch , saw the mountain fire-pulse , glowing and winking like the eye of a Cyclops , its gleam reflected in the eyes of the watchers who were about to invade the island and rob it of its golden sands . The change of weather came about three in the morning , though not as Lund had hoped . A sudden wind materialized from the north , stiffening the canvas with its ice-laden breath , glazing the schooner wherever moisture dripped , bringing up an angry scud of clouds that fought with the moon . The sea appeared to have thickened . The _ Karluk _ went sluggishly , as if she was sailing in a sea of treacle .