four o'clock
Your dinner 's ready below . '' Clif took the hint and went below . The boat was pitching so violently that he found eating a very difficult operation , and it was generally so unpleasant in the little cabin that he was glad to go on deck again . And then later in the afternoon , at four o'clock , it came time for him to go on duty . After that he had to remain outside whether he wanted to or not . The gale grew considerably stronger , and as the darkness came on it got much chillier , but Clif still paced up and down the deck with the glass in his hand watching for a sign of a passing vessel , or of the approaching Cuban coast . He was left almost alone on deck as the weather got rougher ; for the crew made themselves comfortable below , knowing what hard work lay before them through the stormy night .