nine o'clock
Within a couple of minutes of hearing the hail every man on board was on deck gazing in the direction in which we were proceeding . By tea time we had brought the land considerably nearer , and by eight o'clock were within three miles of it . Not a sign , however , of any craft could we discover , and the greatest vigilance had to be exercised on our part to allow no sign to escape us to show our whereabouts to those ashore . Exactly at nine o'clock the shore party , fully armed , assembled on deck , and the surf-boat was swung overboard . Then in the darkness we crept down the gangway and took our places . The mate was in possession of the tiller , and when all was ready we set off for the shore . Once we had left her side and turned our boat 's nose towards the land , the yacht lay behind us , a black mass , nearly absorbed in the general shadow .