midnight
Belay all . '' Meanwhile the corvette , with her lofty dimity kissing the sky , caught the first light airs before the slightest ripple darkened the surface of the water ; and with her helm a-starboard , and her after-yards braced sharp up , she silently swung round on her heel , while the spanker came flat aft , like a sheet of white paper , and with the head-sails trimmed , she slowly moved athwart the stern of the brig. The sharp whistles of the boatswain and his mates , piping like goldfinches , were the only sounds that were heard ; and as the cruiser moved on in her course , the declining moon cast a mellow light over the folds of her canvas , and , like a girl in bridal attire , she threw a graceful shadow over the smooth and swelling waters away off to windward . The sails of the brig , which had begun to swell out in easy drooping lines , fell back again flat to the masts as the ship crossed her wake . But as the corvette passed , the officer of the watch on the poop raised his cap to the lovely woman who was standing out in graceful relief on the upper cabin deck , with her little boy held up beside her in the sturdy arms of the black , and placing the trumpet to his lips , said , in a distinct voice , as if addressing the skipper , `` We shall go about at midnight . Remember the directions I gave you this morning . _ Bon voyage , madame ! _ '' He shook his trumpet playfully at the boy , who put out his chubby arms with delight to the speaker , and then hammered away with great glee on the crown of his bearer 's head .