noon
And so a while passed . Towards midnight , as I should judge , there came some mighty flames of lightning , so bright that they lit up the boat through the double covering of canvas ; yet no man of us heard aught of the thunder ; for the roaring of the storm made all else a silence . And so to the dawn , after which , finding that we were still , by the mercy of God , possessed of our lives , we made shift to eat and drink ; after which we slept . Now , being extremely wearied by the stress of the past night , I slumbered through many hours of the storm , waking at some time between noon and evening . Overhead , as I lay looking upwards , the canvas showed of a dull leadenish color , blackened completely at whiles by the dash of spray and water . And so , presently , having eaten again , and feeling that all things lay in the hands of the Almighty , I came once more upon sleep . Twice through the following night was I wakened by the boat being hurled upon her beam-ends by the blows of the seas ; but she righted easily , and took scarce any water , the canvas proving a very roof of safety .