About nine o'clock
This regularity of shape , however , is soon lost under the rays of the summer sun , the wash of the ocean , and most of all by the wear of the torrents that gush out of their own frozen bosoms . A distinguished navigator of our own time has compared the appearance of these bergs , after their regularity of shape is lost , and they begin to assume the fantastic outlines that uniformly succeed , to that of a deserted town , built of the purest alabaster , with its edifices crumbling under the seasons , and its countless unpeopled streets , avenues and alleys . All who have seen the sight unite in describing it as one of the most remarkable that comes from the lavish hand of nature . About nine o'clock on the memorable night in question , there was a good deal of fog driving over the ocean to increase the obscurity . This rendered Daggett doubly cautious , and he actually hauled up close to the wind , heading off well to the westward , in order to avoid running in among the bergs , in greater uncertainty than the circumstances would seem to require . Of course Roswell followed the movement ; and when the moon first diffused its mild rays on the extraordinary scene , the two schooners were pitching into a heavy sea , within less than a mile of the weather-line of the range of bergs . It was soon apparent that floes or field ice accompanied the floating mountains , and extended so far to the southward of them as to be already within an inconvenient if not hazardous proximity to the two vessels .