About midnight
I replied , in English , that he need not be afraid of us , as we were British , like himself , and then inquired whether he had seen a large brigantine in his neighbourhood . I got a reply to my question , it is true , but it was utterly incomprehensible ; and I doubt very much whether the man understood what I had said to him ; for the wind rendered it almost impossible for the most powerful voice to make itself heard , unless at a very short distance and dead to windward , as was the barque when her skipper hailed us . We made several attempts to find the brigantine that night , but somehow failed to stumble across either her or the disabled ship upon which we suspected her of entertaining designs . About midnight there were signs that the gale had pretty well blown itself out . There was a distinct , if not very strongly-marked decrease in the strength of the wind , and about an hour before dawn the veil of impenetrable vapour overhead broke away , showing , first of all , a small patch of clear sky , with half a dozen stars or so blinking out of it , and then other and larger patches , with more stars ; until , by the time of sunrise , the sky was clear , save for the thin detached tatters of fleecy vapour that still swept scurrying away to the northward and eastward . It was my morning watch on deck ; and with the first grey light of early dawn I indulged in a thoroughly searching scrutiny of the fleet -- or as much of it as still remained in sight , -- on the look-out for the brigantine ; but I failed to discover any traces either of her or of the disabled ship . This I considered not only surprising but exceedingly suspicious ; as the crew of the ship had contrived , during the previous day , to clear away the wreck of their top-hamper , and to get their craft once more under command by setting their fore and main-topsails and a make-shift fore-staysail , under which the vessel appeared to be doing exceedingly well when the darkness of the preceding night had closed down upon the convoy .