midnight
Keep a sharp look-out , Mr Pierrepoint , and if anything heaves in sight , either ahead or astern , during your watch , give me a call . I 'm going below to turn in now . '' I followed suit a minute or two later and , with my cabin-door wide open to freely admit the cool , welcome breeze that poured down through the open skylight , soon fell into a deep , refreshing sleep . When I went on deck at midnight I found that there was no occasion to set the studding-sails , for the breeze had freshened to more than half a gale , and the little hooker was staggering along before it and a fast-rising sea at a tremendous pace -- considering the drag -- with her royal clewed up and furled , and the gaff-topsail hauled down . Even thus she was being greatly over-driven ; so , as there was no need for _ too much _ hurry , and as the sky astern had a hard , windy look , I took in the topgallant-sail , and hauled down and stowed the mainsail , letting her go along easily and comfortably for the remainder of the night . I had half a mind to further relieve her by getting the drag inboard , but did not like to do so without first consulting Ryan -- since the thing was of his contrivance -- so , as the matter was by no means sufficiently urgent to justify me in disturbing him , I let it remain , and very glad was I afterwards that I had done so ; for when I went on deck again at seven bells , there , away about a point on our weather quarter , gleamed in the bright morning sunshine the white upper sails of a large craft that had been sighted at daybreak and that was now coming up to us fast . Ryan was already on deck , having been called immediately that the stranger was made out , and was in a state of high glee at the success of his stratagem , for he informed me that he had been up on the topsail-yard , and had pretty well satisfied himself , both by the look of the craft and the course she was steering , that she was a slaver running in upon the coast to pick up a cargo .