midnight before
The garrison clock had struck eleven before , dog-tired as they were , they had reduced the two dormitories to conditions of cleanliness in which it was possible for self-respecting men to lie down and take their sleep . And so they laid themselves down and slept , in their dreams remembering Looe and their families and rooms that , albeit small , were cosy , and beds that smelt of lavender . Captain Pond had apportioned to each man three fingers of rum , and in cases of suspected catarrh had infused a dose of quinine . It was midnight before he lay down in his quarters , on bedding he had previously aired before a sullen fire . He closed his eyes -- but only to sleep by fits and starts . How could his men endure three weeks of this ? He must keep them occupied , amused ... .