midnight
Joe saw at once that the man was wild with drink , and he put on a smile , with a notion of coaxing the captain over . In a little while he managed to get him below , and , foolishly , filled him some more cognac . Joe thought it best to stupefy the fellow , and the brandy certainly did send him to sleep . That was a bad night , for the wind rose again , and such a sea ran that Glenn gave up hope at midnight , and got ready for the worst . At the dawn of Christmas Day the skipper offered to relieve him , but the risk would have been too much , and the dogged East Coaster stuck to his work , though he was aching , drenched , and so sleepy that he did not know how to keep his eyes open . A queer Christmas ? Yes , but not much more queer than the Christmas passed by thousands of good fellows on that treacherous great channel .