midnight
I travelled overland from London by way of Portsmouth , where I fell among friends . When I reached Portland , H.M.S. _ Caryatid _ , whose guest I was to have been , had , with Blue Fleet , already sailed for some secret rendezvous off the west coast of Ireland , and Portland breakwater was filled with Red Fleet , my official enemies and joyous acquaintances , who received me with unstinted hospitality . For example , Lieutenant-Commander A.L. Hignett , in charge of three destroyers , _ Wraith , Stiletto _ , and _ Kobbold _ , due to depart at 6 P.M. that evening , offered me a berth on his thirty-knot flagship , but I preferred my comforts , and so accepted sleeping-room in H.M.S. _ Pedantic _ -LRB- 15,000 tons -RRB- , leader of the second line . After dining aboard her I took boat to Weymouth to get my kit aboard , as the battleships would go to war at midnight . In transferring my allegiance from Blue to Red Fleet , whatever the Marine Captain may say , I did no wrong . I truly intended to return to the _ Pedantic _ and help to fight Blue Fleet . All I needed was a new toothbrush , which I bought from a chemist in a side street at 9:15 P. M .