noon
But , as I had as many hands as I required , I let him go without compelling him to pay toll . His report was that the Atlantic was absolutely empty of shipping , he having sighted nothing but a British line-of-battle ship and three frigates during his passage across . Finally , we reached the cruising-ground that I had selected as being the most likely spot in which to meet Morillo ; and there we cruised for a full fortnight , just reaching to and fro athwart the wind , under mainsail , topsail , and jib , and still there was no sign of the _ Guerrilla _ or of any other craft . At length I became so thoroughly discouraged that one night , soon after sundown , I went below , got out my chart , and proceeded to study it afresh , with a view to the selection of some other cruising-ground ; and at length , after long and anxious consideration , I fixed upon a new spot , for which I determined to bear up next day if by noon nothing had hove in sight . It chanced , however , that at dawn next morning a craft was made out some ten miles to windward of us , and the officer of the watch at once came down below and called me . I went on deck immediately , to find that the day was just breaking , and the stranger even then only barely visible against the faint light that was spreading along the eastern horizon . As we stood looking , we made her out to be a square-rigged vessel , apparently of no great size , running down toward us under easy canvas ; and the thought came to me that here was the _ Guerrilla _ at last , and that my patience was about to meet its reward .