Noon
and Mr McCarthy then went off , shaking his fist good-humouredly at those who laughed at his quaint speech . Four other men he selected as a crew for the jolly-boat , which was hauled down on the beach in readiness to shove off as soon as any of the wreckage was reported in sight ; the remainder of the hands being directed to place themselves under the orders of the carpenter until their services should be required to relieve the look-out men at the end of their watch . The duty of these latter , however , was for some time a sinecure , as the breakers were still breaking angrily against the cliffs and keeping up the hoarse diapason in which they expressed their impotent rage ; while the wind , though blowing with less force than during the night time , was yet strong enough to sweep off the tops of the billows when it caught them well abeam , carrying the spindrift away to leeward and scattering the surge with its blast as it transformed it into fairy-like foam bubbles and wreaths of gossamer spray . Noon came before there was any change . Then , soon after the end of the ebb and just as the tide began to flow again , the wind died away into a dead calm ; and the sea settling down somewhat -- the rollers still rolling in , but only breaking when they reached the shore , instead of jostling one another in their tumultuous rushings together and mimic encounters out in the open -- every eye was on the _ qui vive _ . It was either `` now or never '' that they might expect anything coming inshore from the wreck ! `` Sail ho ! ''