midnight
We found that under her short canvas the little `` Vigilant , '' with her flat and beamy build , sharp lines , and flaring bow , laid-to admirably , riding as lightly and almost as dry as a seagull over the mountainous sea which rapidly got up under the influence of the gale . I remained on deck long enough to thoroughly satisfy myself upon this point , and then , leaving the deck in charge of Hardy -LRB- who had the watch -RRB- , with one man to tend the wheel , and two others on the lookout , I sent the remainder of the hands below to get a good meal with plenty of strong hot coffee ; while little Smellie and I sat down to our own almost equally humble spread in the small but cosy cabin . The change from the cold wet sloppy deck , with its accompaniments of darkness , driving spray , and frequent rain-squalls , to the dry warm comfort of the cabin , lighted up with the brilliant rays of its single handsome swinging-lamp , its carpeted floor and well-cushioned lockers , was agreeable in the extreme ; and the sound of the gale , as it roared overhead and shrieked through the rigging , the patter and drip of the rain on the deck , and the occasional heavy `` swish '' of the drenching spray-showers , served but to increase the feeling of comfort which we enjoyed . We spent some time , after the table was cleared , in consulting the chart , interspersed with frequent references to the book of sailing directions , and when we tired of these a book apiece served to wile away the time until midnight , when Smellie had to turn out once more and take charge of the deck . As the eight strokes upon the bell proclaimed the expiration of the first watch , we donned our oilskins and repaired to the deck in company . The wind had been steadily increasing from the commencement of the gale , and was now blowing so heavily that every time the `` Vigilant '' rose upon the crest of a sea she careened almost gunwale-to , even with the scanty shred of canvas under which she was hove-to . The sea , moreover , had increased with as great rapidity as the wind , and was now running tremendously high , breaking from time to time in a manner which made me somewhat uneasy .