midnight before
Two human forms , a sailor and a sailor-boy , lying side by side upon a raft scarce twice the length of their own bodies , in the midst of a vast ocean , landless and limitless as infinity itself both softly and soundly asleep , -- as if reposing upon the pillow of some secure couch , with the firm earth beneath and a friendly roof extended over them ! Ah , it was a striking tableau , that frail craft with its sleeping crew , -- such a spectacle as is seldom seen by human eye ! It was fortunate that for many hours they continued to enjoy the sweet unconsciousness of sleep , -- if such may be termed enjoyment . It was long after midnight before either awoke : for there was nothing to awake them . The breeze had kept gentle , and constant in the same quarter ; and the slight noise made by the water , as it went `` swishing '' along the edge of the raft , instead of rousing them acted rather as a lullaby to their rest . The boy awoke first . He had been longer asleep ; and his nervous system , refreshed and restored to its normal condition , had become more keenly sensitive to outward impressions .