6:30
`` You _ can _ do it every morning , if you really feel inclined , '' I replied , smiling at his rueful countenance ; `` clothes can only be washed during the morning watch -LRB- four to eight -RRB- , I understand , and , as the starboard men are on duty one day during that time and the port watch the next , each is supposed to ` scrub and wash clothes ' in his own watch . See ? '' The `` Kid '' looked up at the dripping line of rather dingy clothes , then down at his red and soapy knees , and said , as he turned to go aft , `` Well , when we get back to New York , I am going to have a suit of whites made of celluloid that can be washed with a sponge . '' At 6:30 the order `` knock off scrubbing clothes '' was given , and then all hands of the watch `` turned to '' and scrubbed decks , scoured the gratings and companion-way ladders with sand and canvas , brass work was polished , paint work wiped down , and everything on board made as spick and span as a new dollar . A vast quantity of water is brought from over the side through the ship 's pump , and the men work in their bare feet . In fact , the usual costume during this period of the day consists of a pair of duck trousers and a thin shirt . On special occasions even the shirt is dispensed with .