eleven o'clock
The death by accident of a sailor , and his strange burial at sea , served only for a brief time to arrest a happiness made complete by each other 's voice and presence . The two weeks on the ocean came and went as softly as flowers unfold and disappear . Thus far , married life had been ideal . It was after eleven o'clock , and anxious passengers were pacing the decks , hoping to sight native land before retiring . Suddenly the officer on the bridge discerned the dim Fire Island Light , bearing north by west , twenty miles distant . Ten minutes later , five points on the port bow , a pilot boat was sighted . Her mast-head light was visible , also the torch , which soaked in turpentine , burnt brightly at intervals .