noon
Whether many or any niggers were killed , I do not know ; but there was a fearful howling , which did me good to hear , and the front of the house went into splinters under the heavy charges of the guns , and in five seconds the village was deserted again . `` Before I did anything more for my own safety , I got some sailcloth and rugs , and covered the bodies of my shipmates -- the dreadful appearance they presented just unnerved me , and I felt like sitting down and crying . But I had to hustle . I wanted to get under way as quickly as possible before darkness came on , and it was now noon . `` First of all I rove the mainsail halliards , and then bent on the jib , stopping only now and then to fire a rifle at the village , just to let the natives know I was keeping my eyes skinned . Then I hoisted the mainsail and hove up my anchor without any trouble , for the wind was very light , and got a good cant off shore as soon as I ran up the jib . `` As soon as I was well away from the land , I stood north -- about so as so clear Cape Queen Charlotte , the westerly point of New Hanover , and ran on for three or four hours , the vessel steering herself while I sewed up poor Merriman 's and the boatswain 's bodies as well as I could under the circumstances .