noon
As it was , the brigs maintained the pursuit for a distance of some sixteen miles altogether , when they were recalled by signal from the commodore . We were greatly elated at this escape , for although the utmost that we had to fear was the loss , by impressment , of some of our men , the maintenance of our crew intact was an important matter with us , the more so now that we were bound upon what might prove to be a lengthened cruise , during the progress of which many vacancies might be expected to occur , -- either by the necessity to send away prize crews or otherwise , -- which we should have little or no chance to fill up . But , over and above this , our adventure with the gun-brigs had afforded us a brief but sufficient opportunity to thoroughly test the powers of the schooner under circumstances of about as adverse a character as could well be imagined , and the triumphant manner in which she had more than justified our most sanguine anticipations gave us unbounded confidence in her . By noon that day the wind had moderated sufficiently to permit of our shaking out another reef , and when the sun went down out of a clear sky , shooting his last rays in a long trail of burning gold athwart the tumbling waste of still tumultuous waters , the _ Dolphin _ was once more under all plain sail , and speeding to the westward in the direction that we surmised had been taken by the brigantine and the ship . During the night the wind dropped still further , and the following morning found us , with our sails barely filled , creeping lazily along over a long , low swell that had already begun to wear that streaky , oily appearance which sometimes heralds the approach of a stark calm . Our calculations had led us to hope that with the appearance of daylight on this particular morning we should sight the brigantine and her prize , as we had grown to consider the disabled ship ; but , greatly to our disappointment , nothing was to be seen in any direction , even from the lofty elevation of our royal-yard . As the day wore on the wind died away altogether , and by noon the schooner had lost steerage-way , her head boxing the compass as she floated on the glass-smooth undulations that alone remained to tell of the elemental fury that had raged over the spot but a few hours previously .