midnight
Everything gone except the deck and hatches ! And if that engine had n't been going we 'd be gone ! Keep up the good work ! '' By midnight the engineer 's lungs and head had been sufficiently cleared of gas fumes to let him relieve Grief , who went on deck to get his own head and lungs clear . He joined the others , who crouched behind the cabin , holding on with their hands and made doubly secure by rope-lashings . It was a complicated huddle , for it was the only place of refuge for the Kanakas . Some of them had accepted the skipper 's invitation into the cabin but had been driven out by the fumes .