Ten minutes to nine
And then the bell at London-bridge wharf rang ; and a Margate boat was just starting ; and a Gravesend boat was just starting , and people shouted , and porters ran down the steps with luggage that would crush any men but porters ; and sloping boards , with bits of wood nailed on them , were placed between the outside boat and the inside boat ; and the passengers ran along them , and looked like so many fowls coming out of an area ; and then , the bell ceased , and the boards were taken away , and the boats started , and the whole scene was one of the most delightful bustle and confusion . The time wore on ; half-past eight o'clock arrived ; the pastry-cook 's men went ashore ; the dinner was completely laid out ; and Mr. Percy Noakes locked the principal cabin , and put the key in his pocket , in order that it might be suddenly disclosed , in all its magnificence , to the eyes of the astonished company . The band came on board , and so did the wine . Ten minutes to nine , and the committee embarked in a body . There was Mr. Hardy , in a blue jacket and waistcoat , white trousers , silk stockings , and pumps -- in full aquatic costume , with a straw hat on his head , and an immense telescope under his arm ; and there was the young gentleman with the green spectacles , in nankeen inexplicables , with a ditto waistcoat and bright buttons , like the pictures of Paul -- not the saint , but he of Virginia notoriety . The remainder of the committee , dressed in white hats , light jackets , waistcoats , and trousers , looked something between waiters and West India planters . Nine o'clock struck , and the company arrived in shoals .