noon
Hermon also accompanied him at Daphne 's side , but he made it easy for Philotas to engross her attention ; for , though the immense thickness of the walls and the arrangement of the wooden towers which , crowned with battlements , rose at long intervals , seemed to him also well worth seeing , he gave them only partial attention . While Philippus was showing the guests how safely the archers and slingers could be concealed behind the walls and battlements and discharge their missiles , and explaining the purpose of the great catapults on the outermost dike washed by the sea , the artist was listening to the ever-increasing roar of the waves which poured into the harbour from the open sea , to their loud dashing against the strong mole , to the shrill scream of the sea gulls , the flapping of the sails , which were being taken in everywhere -- in short , to all the sounds occasioned by the rising violence of the wind . There were not a few war ships in the port and among them perfect giants of amazing size and unusual construction , but Hermon had already seen many similar ones . When , shortly after noon , the sun for a few brief moments pierced with scorching rays the dark curtain that shrouded it from sight , and then suddenly dense masses of clouds , driven from the sea by the tempest , covered the day star , his eyes and cars were engrossed entirely by the uproar of the elements . The air darkened as if night was falling at this noontide hour , and with savage fury the foaming mountain waves rushed like mad wild beasts in fierce assault upon the mole , the walls , and the dikes of the fortified port . `` Home ! '' cried Thyone , and again entered the litter which she had left to inspect the new catapults .