about eleven o'clock
We were busy the whole of that afternoon , and up until nine o'clock in the evening , the riggers working `` overtime , '' as the admiral was most anxious for us to go to sea at the earliest possible moment ; and Mr Annesley , during the time , was all over the ship , taking me with him , and keenly watching the fitting of every spar and piece of rigging , being fully determined that every part of the work should be well and conscientiously done . I thought him unnecessarily particular over what then seemed to me to be trifles ; but the time came , when I perceived that no part of the rigging or equipment of a man-o ' - war could be justly regarded as of trifling importance . The work being pushed forward thus energetically , we made rapid progress ; and on the day fortnight from my joining the ship , she was all ataunto , with sails bent , stores of every kind , including powder and shot , on board , fully manned , and , in fact , quite ready for sea . Captain Hood had paid a couple of flying visits to the ship since I had joined her , but I had not seen him , as I happened on both occasions to be away at the dockyard ; but on the morning in question he came on board about eleven o'clock -- his own gig having been sent on shore for him -- mustered the hands and read his commission , made us a short speech , and then went on shore again , previously giving Mr Annesley instructions to have everything ready for a start by three o'clock that afternoon . As soon , therefore , as the gig had left the ship 's side , blue-peter was run up to the fore-royal-mast-head , the fore-topsail was loosed , and everybody not actually belonging to the ship was ordered to be out of her in an hour 's time . Then came the men 's dinner-time , after which there was a general straightening and clearing up , fore and aft , the boats were hoisted in and secured , and finally the messenger was passed , and the anchor hove short-stay-a-peak . And now , while all hands are supposed to be waiting with suppressed impatience for the appearance of the man who , for a time at least , was to exercise an almost omnipotent influence over the welfare and happiness of our little community , upon whose skill and courage our very lives were frequently to depend , and to whom we all looked up as our future leader in every deed of enterprise or daring , an opportunity occurs for me to say a descriptive word or two concerning the principal individuals with whom I found myself brought into association .