Quotation from: Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

Written by: Joseph Conrad

A great recrudescence of obscurity embraced the boat. The sea in the
gulf was as black as the clouds above. Nostromo, after striking a couple
of matches to get a glimpse of the boat-compass he had with him in the
lighter, steered by the feel of the wind on his cheek.

It was a new experience for Decoud, this mysteriousness of the great
waters spread out strangely smooth, as if their restlessness had been
crushed by the weight of that dense night. The Placido was sleeping
profoundly under its black poncho.