midnight
At night the wind again veered round to the northward , enabling the `` Coal-Coffin '' to spread most of her canvass , keep her course , and bowl pleasantly along before the breeze . But the weather was still thick , necessitating a sharp look-out . During most of this time our friend Billy was confined , much against his will , to the bandbox cabin , where he did as much mischief as he could in the circumstances . Towards midnight , while Haco and Gaff were standing by the man on the look-out , who was on the heel of the bowsprit , they fancied they observed something looming up against the dark sky on the weather bow . The look-out gave a shout . `` Port ! port !