midday
And as he comes up he grows weaker and weaker , and sometimes he bursts open when he comes to the surface . Now if a big eel -- an eel two fathoms long -- '' `` If he was three fathoms long he could not break this line , '' I replied positively . They laughed and told me that when I hooked even a small eel , one half a fathom in length , I would change my opinion . Soon after our midday meal was over , and we were preparing to return to our fishing-ground with an ample supply of fresh bait , the sky to windward became black and threatening , and through the breaks in the long line of palms on the weather side of the island , which permitted the horizon to be viewed , we could see that a squall of unusual violence was coming . All the canoes were at once hauled up on the lee-side of the islets , the huts were secured by ropes as quickly as possible , and every one hurried under shelter . In a few minutes the wind was blowing with astonishing fury , and the air was full of leaves , sticks , and other _ débris _ , whilst the coco-palms and other trees on the islets seemed likely to be torn up by the roots . This lasted about ten minutes .