about midnight
I went below -- not without a full presentiment of evil . Indeed , every appearance warranted me in apprehending a Simoom . I told the captain my fears ; but he paid no attention to what I said , and left me without deigning to give a reply . My uneasiness , however , prevented me from sleeping , and about midnight I went upon deck . -- As I placed my foot upon the upper step of the companion-ladder , I was startled by a loud , humming noise , like that occasioned by the rapid revolution of a mill-wheel , and before I could ascertain its meaning , I found the ship quivering to its centre . In the next instant , a wilderness of foam hurled us upon our beam-ends , and , rushing over us fore and aft , swept the entire decks from stem to stern . The extreme fury of the blast proved , in a great measure , the salvation of the ship .