eight
in the morning
Four bells struck , and six bells , and Mr. Pike had not returned below . At eight bells , with the changing of the watches , it came upon me what a night of hardship the old mate was enduring . Eight to twelve had been his own watch on deck . He had now completed the four hours of the second mate 's watch and was beginning his own watch , which would last till eight in the morning -- twelve consecutive hours in a Cape Horn gale with the mercury at freezing . Next -- for I had dozed -- I heard loud cries above my head that were repeated along the poop . I did not know till afterwards that it was Mr. Pike 's command to hard-up the helm , passed along from for ` ard by the men he had stationed at intervals on the bridge . All that I knew at this shock of waking was that something was happening above .