midnight
The gale made a great roaring . The ship 's stern lay open to the gorge , and but for her steadiness I might have supposed myself at sea . There was indeed an incessant thunder about my ears often accompanied by the shock of a mass of spray flung thirty feet high , and falling like sacks of stones upon the deck . Once I felt the vessel rock ; I can not tell the hour , but it was long past midnight , and by the noise of the wind I guessed it was blowing a whole gale . The movement was extraordinary -- whether sideways or downwards I could not distinguish ; but , seasoned as my stomach was to the motion of ships , this movement set up a nausea that lasted some while , acting upon me as I have since learned the convulsion of an earthquake does upon people . It took off my mind from the Frenchman , and filled me with a different sort of alarm altogether , for it was very evident the gale was making the ice break ; and , thought I to myself , if we do not mind our eye we shall be crushed and buried . But what was to be done ?