About two in the morning
The rest crawled under the tent , and were soon enjoying that comfortable gift of sleep , which comes everywhere and to all men , quenching anxieties and speeding time . And no sooner were all settled , no sooner had the drone of many snorers begun to mingle with and overcome the surf , than Tommy stole from his post with the case of sherry , and dropped it in a quiet cove in a fathom of water . But the stormy inconstancy of Mac 's behaviour had no connection with a gill or two of wine ; his passions , angry and otherwise , were on a different sail-plan from his neighbours ' ; and there were possibilities of good and evil in that hybrid Celt beyond their prophecy . About two in the morning , the starry sky -- or so it seemed , for the drowsy watchman had not observed the approach of any cloud -- brimmed over in a deluge ; and for three days it rained without remission . The islet was a sponge , the castaways sops ; the view all gone , even the reef concealed behind the curtain of the falling water . The fire was soon drowned out ; after a couple of boxes of matches had been scratched in vain , it was decided to wait for better weather ; and the party lived in wretchedness on raw tins and a ration of hard bread . By the 2nd February , in the dark hours of the morning watch , the clouds were all blown by ; the sun rose glorious ; and once more the castaways sat by a quick fire , and drank hot coffee with the greed of brutes and sufferers .