ten o'clock
His tale was that he had a relative to visit at Plymouth Dock , and meant to push on that night so far as Probus , and there sleep and wait for Russell 's waggon . '' `` But his road , '' I objected , `` would n't lie through Gerrans village , unless he went by the short cut through the field beyond St. Mawes , and took the ferry at Percuil . '' `` Right , lad ; and that is precisely what he did ; for -- to push ahead a bit -- we overran his track on the main road , and , learning of that same short cut , drove back along the other side of the creek to Percuil , and had a talk with the ferryman . The ferryman told us that at ten o'clock , or thereabouts , he was going to bed having closed the ferry , when a voice on the other shore began bawling ` Over ! ' He slipped on his boots again , rowed across , and took over a man who was certainly Captain Coffin . '' `` He was alone ? '' I asked .