midday
As his tone was unusually gruff , not to say jeering , she resolved to find an opportunity of seeking Hozier 's advice on the cablegram problem . But the portent of the blood-red water was not to be disregarded . Never was Delphic oracle better served by nature . The _ Andromeda _ began to roll ominously ; masses of black cloud climbed over the southwest horizon ; at midday the ship was driving through a heavy sea . As the day wore , the weather became even more threatening . A sky and ocean that had striven during three weeks to produce in splendid rivalry blends of sapphire blue and emerald green and tenderest pink , were now draped in a shroud of gray mist . With increasing frequency and venom , vaulting seas curled over the bows , and sent stinging showers of spray against the canvas shield of the bridge .