about eleven o'clock at night
As it was not possible to do anything more I took my passage in a homeward-bound Indiaman , to return to London , and lay the matter before the Privy Council . We met with nothing particular until we arrived upon the coast of Guinea , where , to our utter astonishment , we perceived a great hill , seemingly of glass , advancing against us in the open sea ; the rays of the sun were reflected upon it with such splendour , that it was extremely difficult to gaze at the phenomenon . I immediately knew it to be an island of ice , and though in so very warm a latitude , determined to make all possible sail from such horrible danger . We did so , but all in vain , for about eleven o'clock at night , blowing a very hard gale , and exceedingly dark , we struck upon the island . Nothing could equal the distraction , the shrieks , and despair of the whole crew , until I , knowing there was not a moment to be lost , cheered up their spirits , and bade them not despond , but do as I should request them . In a few minutes the vessel was half full of water , and the enormous castle of ice that seemed to hem us in on every side , in some places falling in hideous fragments upon the deck , killed one half of the crew ; upon which , getting upon the summit of the mast , I contrived to make it fast to a great promontory of the ice , and calling to the remainder of the crew to follow me , we all escaped from the wreck , and got upon the summit of the island . The rising sun soon gave us a dreadful prospect of our situation , and the loss , or rather iceification , of the vessel ; for being closed in on every side with castles of ice during the night , she was absolutely frozen over and buried in such a manner that we could behold her under our feet , even in the central solidity of the island .