one o'clock in the morning
The two lads paced to and fro , eagerly longing for the time when Douglas should be relieved from duty , for both were very tired ; but Terry did not feel inclined to leave his friend to continue his watch by himself . As the time passed on , the lights of the squadron disappeared , one by one , until at length the only lights which showed were the riding lights , two of which were suspended on every ship , one at the bow and one at the stern . The sounds on board the ships had died away completely , and it was only occasionally that the shouts of a party of revellers were heard from the shore . It was shortly after one o'clock in the morning when Terry , who was still keeping his friend company , walked to the ship 's rail and stood there in a listening attitude ; then he raised his voice slightly and called Douglas to his side . `` Listen carefully for a moment , old fellow , '' he said ; `` can not you hear something away out there on our port bow ? '' Jim listened , and presently his strained senses caught a faint sound like the throbbing of a tiny engine somewhere away in the darkness . `` Yes , '' he whispered , `` I certainly can hear something .