about noon
About two bells in the morning watch the gale broke , and from that moment the strength of the wind moderated so rapidly that by eight bells all danger had passed , the boats were riding dry , and we were able to get breakfast in peace and comfort -- all the greater , perhaps , from the fact that when day dawned the pirate brig was nowhere to be seen . By nine-o'clock the wind and sea had both moderated sufficiently to enable us to resume our voyage . I therefore , with some difficulty , secured an observation of the sun for the determination of our longitude , and we then proceeded to re-bend our sails , step the masts , and get under way , steering to the northward and westward under double-reefed canvas . Finally , about noon , we were able to shake out our reefs and proceed under whole canvas , the sea by that time having almost completely gone down , leaving no trace of the previous night 's gale beyond a long and very heavy swell , in the hollows of which the two boats continually lost sight of each other . But although , by the mercy of Providence , we had weathered the gale , we had not by any means escaped scathless , for when we had once more settled down and had found opportunity to overhaul our stock of provisions , it was found that , despite our utmost precautions , an alarmingly large proportion of them had become damaged by rain and sea water , to such an extent , indeed , that about half of them had been rendered quite unfit for use , and we therefore threw that portion overboard , since there was obviously no advantage in wasting valuable space in the preservation of useless stores . And I did this the more readily , perhaps , because I calculated that , despite this heavy loss , we should still have enough left to carry us to our destination -- provided that we were not detained by calms on the way . We made excellent progress all that day , our reckoning showing that at three o'clock that afternoon we had traversed a distance of just forty miles since getting under way that morning , which distance was increased to fifty-eight by sunset .