midnight
Near the zenith , and second only to the Cross in brilliancy , appeared the Northern Crown , consisting of seven large stars , so disposed as to form the outline of two-thirds of an oval . Of the familiar constellations of the northern hemisphere , scarcely one was visible , except Orion , and the Pleiades . At length the moon descended behind a bank of silvery clouds , piled up along the horizon . The partial obscurity that ensued , only added to the grandeur of the midnight scene , as we sat gazing silently abroad upon the confused mass of swelling waters , stretching away into the gloom . But if the scene was grand , it was also desolate ; we two were perhaps the only human beings , for many hundreds of miles , who looked forth upon it . Our companions were wrapped in unconsciousness , and their deep and regular breathing attested the soundness of their slumbers . As the light failed more and more , and the shadows deepened , the sea began to assume a beautiful and striking appearance , gleaming in places with a bluish lambent light , and exhibiting , where the water was most agitated , large luminous patches .