But we must have patience, and bide our time.

Several sail have come in and departed during the last twenty-four hours.

The enemy in the offing as usual.
Towards noon it began to cloud up, and we had some rain, and I had strong hopes that we should have a cloudy, dark night.

The moon would not rise until seven minutes past eleven, and if we could be aided by a few clouds we should have sufficient darkness; for be it known that in these tropical climates, where almost every star is a moon, there is no such thing as darkness when the firmament is clear.

But my hopes began to fade, with the day, for one cloud disappeared after another, as the sun went down, until the night promised to be as serene and bright as the last.