midnight
But , perhaps that was a mistake ; at any rate , here was the messenger , and she resolutely screwed her knuckles into her eyes and began to dress . In a few minutes she was on deck . A long coat , a Tam o ' Shanter , and a pair of list slippers will go far in the way of costume at night in the tropics , and the _ Andromeda 's _ seventeenth day at sea had brought the equator very near . At dinner on the previous evening -- in honor of the owner 's niece fashionable hours were observed for meals -- Mr. Watts mentioned , by chance , that the Cross had been very distinct during the middle watch , or , in other words , between midnight and 4 a.m. Iris at once expressed a wish to see it , and Captain Coke offered a suggestion . `` Mr. Hozier takes the middle watch to-night , '' said he . `` We can ax ` im to send a man to pound on your door as soon as it rises . Then you must run up to the bridge , an ' ` e 'll tell you all about it . ''