midnight
However , all went well ; the usual gale did blow but not till we had got the last piece aboard and a good `` slant '' to run in , arriving at our previous moorings at midnight . In the morning the skipper went down in his boat to visit the stations , and see how they had fared . Old hand as he was , I think he was astonished to see what progress those fellows had made with the fish . They did not reach the stations till after midnight , but already they had the whales half flenched , and , by the way they were working , it looked as if they would be through with their task as soon as we were with ours . Their agreement with the skipper was to yield us half the oil they made , and , if agreeable to them , we would take their moiety at L40 per tun . Consequently they had something to work for , even though there were twenty of them to share the spoil . They were a merry party , eminently good tempered , and working as though one spirit animated them all .