hour
from two to three
I guess the pastor and the student understood a little English , for when Coe finished they laid on to their oars like mad , and headed the old sieve for shore again , Tweedie in the bilge and still protesting . At two o'clock we turned off Sosofina , Afiola 's aunt . We now had three aloft , and as we rolled gently broadside on to the swell they 'd swing together and swing apart till you did n't care to look at them . That hour from two to three was the very longest I ever spent in my life . It was the hottest time of day and the sun beat down unmerciful , the pitch running in the seams , and the awnings being stripped off to better fight the ship , if need be . The steward passed round sardines and buttered biscuit , and I recollect the Chinaman wolfing his right out of the can and tipping it cornerwise to drink the ile . Bar Coe , he was the coolest customer of the lot , which was the more remarkable , as he was a mild-mannered man ordinarily , given to playing the China fiddle to himself , and very obliging if you wanted fresh yeast or the way he curried pigeon .