Evidently the wind had decreased, as the _Namur_ pitched but little in the sea, and I could hear the scuffling of feet indicating a new spread of canvas above.
The night air, blowing in through my open port became so chill that I covered myself with a blanket.

The vessel creaked and groaned in every joint, some of the sounds actually startling me with their resemblance to cries of human agony.

I tossed about, occasionally sitting upright to peer around in the darkness, my body bathed in cold perspiration, yet must have dropped finally off into an uneasy sleep.

A sharp rapping of knuckles on the door awoke me with a start.
"Starboard watch, Senor." "Will be on deck at once." "Ay, ay, Senor." I drew on a heavy pea jacket of leather, fastening it securely at the throat, and donned a wool cap.

The lantern in the cabin had been relighted, and was burning brightly, and my anxious glance about the interior revealed nothing out of place.