three o'clock
There 's only one thing more , and do n't you forget it : Hats off ; and any man that wants to spit must go outside . '' That afternoon Taffy learnt for the first time what could be done with a few ropes and pulleys . The seamen seemed to spin ropes out of themselves like spiders . By three o'clock the beam was hoisted and fixed ; and they broke off their work to attend their shipmates ' funeral . After the funeral they fell to again , though more silently , and before nightfall the beam shone with a new coat of varnish . They left early next morning , after a good deal of handshaking , and Taffy looked after them wistfully as they turned to wave their caps and trudged away over the rise towards the cross-roads . Away to the left in the wintry sunshine a speck of scarlet caught his eye against the blue-grey of the towans .