midnight
It was evening ; there was a doleful whistling in the air , increasing every moment -- a wild howling , as if a host of unseen despairing spirits were uttering their complaints . The moaning sound overpowered even the angry dashing of the waves , although the fisherman 's house lay so near to the shore . The sand drifted against the windows , and every now and then came a blast that shook the house to its foundation . It was very dark , but the moon would rise at midnight . The air cleared ; yet the storm still raged in all its might over the deep gloomy sea . The fishermen and their families had retired for some time to rest , but no one could close his eyes in such terrible weather . Some one knocked at the windows of some of the cottages , and when the doors were opened the person said , -- `` A large ship is lying fast upon the outer shoal . ''