About two in the morning
In the afternoon , we hoisted out our pinnace ; and Captain Dover , with the boat 's crew , went in her to go ashore , though we could not be less that four leagues off . As soon as the pinnace was gone , I went on board the Duchess , who admired our boat attempting going ashore at that distance from land . It was against my inclination : but , to oblige Captain Dover , I let her go : As soon as it was dark , we saw a light ashore . Our boat was then about a league off the island , and bore away for the ship as soon as she saw the lights : We put our lights aboard for the boat , though some were of opinion , the lights we saw were our boat 's lights : But , as night came on , it appeared too large for that : We fired our quarter-deck gun , and several muskets , showing lights in our mizen and fore-shrouds , that our boat might find us whilst we were in the lee of the island : About two in the morning our boat came on board , having been two hours on board the Duchess , that took them up astern of us ; we were glad they got well off , because it began to blow . We were all convinces the light was on the shore , and designed to make our ships ready to engage , believing them to be French ships at anchor , and we must either fight them , or want water . All this stir and apprehension arose , as we afterwards found , from one poor naked man , who passed in our imagination , at present , for a Spanish garrison , a body of Frenchmen , or a crew of pirates . While we were under these apprehensions , we stood on the backside of the island , in order to fall in with the southerly wind , till we were past the island ; and then we came back to it again , and ran close aboard the land that begins to make the north-east side .