midnight
Now , it is by no means an uncommon occurrence in this world that a calm should follow close on the heels of a storm . Soon after the _ Snowflake _ had entered the islands the storm began to abate , as if it felt that there was no chance of overwhelming the little yacht now . That night , and the greater part of the following day , a dead calm prevailed , and the schooner lay among the islands with her sails flapping idly from the yards . A little after midnight all on board were asleep , save the man at the helm and Captain McNab , who seemed to be capable of existing without sleep for any length of time when occasion required . The schooner now lay in a latitude so far north that the light of the sun never quite left the sky in clear weather . A sweet soft twilight rested on the rocky islands and on the sea , and no sound disturbed the stillness except the creaking of the yards or the cries of seamews . Yes , by the way , there was another sound .