one o'clock
Foster , a good-humoured old fellow , would merely laugh and change the subject , though he well knew that Captain Evers had had very little experience of the navigation of the South Seas , and relied upon his charts more than upon his local knowledge -- he would never take a suggestion from his officers , both of whom were old `` island '' men -- especially the second mate . We loaded the hundred tons of copra , and were ready for sea by nine o'clock one morning , when a number of large sailing canoes came off , crowded with natives from a distant part of the island , all anxious to buy firearms and ammunition in view of a great expedition against the adjacent island of Tarawa . They all possessed either plenty of money or copra , and Evers did a remarkably good , though illegal business , and sold them over a hundred rifles . By the time they had finished , however , it was past one o'clock , and I concluded that we could not leave the lagoon till the following morning . To my surprise , and the second mate 's open-mouthed astonishment , the skipper , who was highly elated with his morning 's trading , told the mate to clear the decks , and get ready to heave up . `` Why , he 's mad ! '' said the second officer to me .