about nine o'clock in the morning
But whilst love was making such progress in the heart of the young Captain , the _ Dolphin _ sped with no less rapidity towards Charleston . On the 13th of January , the watch signalled land ten miles to the west . It was a low-lying coast , and almost blended with the line of the sea in the distance . Crockston was examining the horizon attentively , and about nine o'clock in the morning he cried : `` Charleston lighthouse ! '' Now that the bearings of the _ Dolphin _ were set , James Playfair had but one thing to do , to decide by which channel he would run into Charleston Bay . `` If we meet with no obstacles , '' said he , `` before three o'clock we shall be in safety in the docks of the port . '' The town of Charleston is situated on the banks of an estuary seven miles long and two broad , called Charleston Harbour , the entrance to which is rather difficult .