nearly eleven o'clock
The skipper stationed his companion on the bow of the boat to watch for rocks ; but none interfered with the progress of the Eleuthera . She sailed to the back side of the island of New Providence , where they found a secluded nook , in which they moored the craft . The water was so clear that the bottom could be seen at all times , the white coral rock greatly assisting the transparency . From Douglas Channel , through which the boat had passed , the chart indicated that it was twenty miles to the point where the skipper desired to land , and it was nearly eleven o'clock when the Eleuthera ran into the little bay , extending over a mile into the island , and nearly landlocked . The shore was covered with tropical vegetation , including cocoa-nut palms , loaded with fruit , with palmettoes , wild palms , and many plants of which Christy did not even know the names . `` We could not have anything better than this , '' said Mr. Gilfleur , as he ran the boat into a tangle of mangroves and other plants . `` This bay appears to be about five miles from the town of Nassau , and I should say that no person is likely to see the boat if it should stay here for a month , '' replied Christy , as he measured the distance across the island with the scale his companion had prepared .