noon
When you 're clear o ' land lay to this here pree-cep ' , ` A million to one on the unexpected . ' '' The next day fell almost dead calm . The hale , lusty-lunged nor ` wester that had snorted them forth from the Golden Gate had lapsed to a zephyr , the schooner rolled lazily southward with the leisurely nonchalance of a grazing ox . At noon , just after dinner , a few cat 's - paws curdled the milky-blue whiteness of the glassy surface , and the water once more began to talk beneath the bow-sprit . It was very hot . The sun spun silently like a spinning brass discus over the mainmast . On the fo ` c ` sle head the Chinamen were asleep or smoking opium .