About an hour before noon
At length , when off the east end of Jamaica , while we were on the starboard tack , a strange ship was discovered steering under easy sail on the opposite tack . What she was we could not make out . She was considerably larger than we were , but still Captain Schank determined , should she be an enemy , to attack her . About an hour before noon she passed to leeward of us , and almost within gun-shot . We made a private signal . It was not answered . `` About ship ! ''