midnight
Each in turn now broke silence by offering an apology , and treated him with so much consideration , that he arose from his seat in the very best humor possible , saying that as they had set so good an example , he must acknowledge that he was sorry for what he had said , and hoped they would set it down to his quick impulses , which , though incident to the feelings of a good soldier , were marvelously apt to lead him astray . He now remembered that he had left his bridle and holsters upon old Battle , and repaired upon deck to relieve him of the burden , which he did with much care and many caresses . At ten o'clock , the major , who was not a little anxious lest the `` Two Marys '' should come in collision with some larger craft , undressed and retired to his berth , where the trouble of the nation ceased for a time to distract his brain . All now went smoothly on until midnight , when , it being Luke 's wife 's watch on deck , the major awoke from his first nap , and hearing his pig running about the deck , making divers noises , as if in great distress , hastened to his relief in a condition not easily described in this history . The pig seeing the major in pursuit of him , ran aft with a mischievous grunt , and was evidently inclined to seek a shelter under the honest woman 's garments . And in fear of a liberty by no means sanctioned in books of true politeness , she gave out a loud scream just as the major , unconscious of the state he was in , for he was too gallant a soldier to have exposed himself to a female , not even in the starlight , tripped over a rope and fell against her with such force that both came to the deck , and with so much noise as to bring Captain Luke , -LRB- who would have sworn some strange craft was grinding the timbers out of the `` Two Marys , '' -RRB- immediately to the rescue . Unfortunately for the gallant major , he had fallen uppermost , and in a position where the binnacle light threw a curious shadow over that part of his person he was most scrupulous in protecting , as are all military gentlemen of quality .