midnight
A squall at that moment struck the ship and heeled her over . It blew with tremendous force for a time , and at last settled down to a steady gale . But in less than an hour the captain 's orders were carried out , and the good ship _ Valhalla _ was speeding before the wind at a good rate with very little sail on her . The storm increased towards midnight , and at that dark hour the _ Valhalla _ had to lie to under almost bare poles . So busy had all hands been kept that there was very little time to think of ghosts or evil spirits , and now that the crew had a chance of turning in , it is needless to say that sleep was the first thing to be considered . But fresh trouble came with the new day . The wind had gone down , and the sea as well , and the _ Valhalla _ was now bowling along on a pretty even keel , for the breeze was well astern .