midnight
We chased that barque until the sun set and the shades of night hid her from our sight ; and although about mid-afternoon we got so close to her that her lower yards showed above the horizon when she lifted on the swell , and kept the telescope bearing upon her all the time , no more hands were sent aloft , and as the afternoon progressed she steadily drew away from us again , until when at length we lost sight of her in the gathering darkness only her royals and the upper halves of her topgallantsails were showing above the horizon . And all this time so absorbed were we in the chase that we were scarcely conscious of the fact that the wind was steadily freshening every minute , the result being that , when at length we were compelled to abandon the hope of being seen and picked up , we suddenly awoke to the fact that it was blowing quite a strong breeze , and that it had kicked up such a high , steep sea that it was no longer possible for us to round-to and ride to a sea anchor as we had done on the night but one before . We were therefore obliged to scud before the wind all night under whole canvas , to avoid being pooped and swamped by the breaking seas that remorselessly chased us . That was a harassing , anxious night for all hands of us , for by midnight it was blowing what is generally termed a fresh gale , that is , a breeze strong enough to compel a ship of , say , a thousand tons to reduce canvas to single-reefed topsails ; and that , to us , in a small open boat , was about equivalent to what a hurricane would be to the bigger craft . There was no sleep for any of us , for we were in constant , imminent danger , and it taxed the resources of all hands to their utmost limit all through the night to keep the boat from being overwhelmed . The chief danger to an open boat under such circumstances arises from the fact that , lying so low in the water as she does , her sail becomes becalmed every time that she settles into the trough of a sea , and she gradually loses way . Then , as she is hove up on the breast of the next following sea , her sail suddenly fills again , and those in her have to be careful that , in filling , it does not jibe over , for if it did so it would certainly capsize the boat .