about two in the morning
Did he not think that he had a right to Holt 's gratitude although the latter owed his life to him ? This man 's conduct was certainly very strange . In the early morning of the 9th the wind showed a tendency to change in the direction of the east , which would mean more manageable weather for us . And , in fact , although the sea still remained rough , at about two in the morning it became feasible to put on more sail without risk , and thus the _ Halbrane _ regained the course from which she had been driven by the prolonged tempest . In that portion of the Antarctic sea the ice-packs were more numerous , and there was reason to believe that the tempest , by hastening the smash-up , had broken the barrier of the iceberg wall towards the east . Although the seas beyond the Polar Circle were wildly tumultuous , it is but just to acknowledge that our navigation had been accomplished so far under exceptional conditions . And what good luck it would be if the _ Halbrane _ , in this first fortnight of December , were to find the Weddell route open !