about seven o'clock
He feared that , do what he might , they would not escape the inquisitive thievishness of the parrots , whose strong beaks could easily cut leather ; but he could do nothing more . It occurs to me , though my father never told me so , that it was perhaps with a view to these birds that he had chosen to put his English sovereigns into a metal box , with a clasp to it which would defy them . He made a roll of his blanket , and slung it over his shoulder ; he also took his pipe , tobacco , a little tea , a few ship 's biscuits , and his billy and pannikin ; matches and salt go without saying . When he had thus ordered everything as nearly to his satisfaction as he could , he looked at his watch for the last time , as he believed , till many weeks should have gone by , and found it to be about seven o'clock . Remembering what trouble it had got him into years before , he took down his saddle-bags , reopened them , and put the watch inside . He then set himself to climb the mountain side , towards the saddle on which he had seen the statues . My father found the ascent more fatiguing than he remembered it to have been .