4 a.m.
We discussed this for some while , and in the end agreed to it . Captain Wills , being short-handed , was even generous enough to offer me a small sum for my services in assisting him with the navigation . To be short , all was arranged . That same night a boat from the _ Independence _ brought the famous cask of Geneva alongside , and took us four English people in exchange , and by 4 a.m. we were under weigh and heading for the open sea . The _ Independence _ steered through the Formosa Strait , across the Eastern Sea , and on the 25th of July entered the bay of Nangasaki under Russian colours , which she thenceforth continued to fly . Like most European captains , our American kept his straightforward dealing for certain races only . He produced his trading articles : but the Japanese wanted nothing , and demanded to know what brought him there ?