seven o'clock
So , as the _ Juliet _ happened to be a pretty smart vessel under her canvas , and in splendid sailing trim , I thought I would do what I could to keep the stranger at arms ' - length , and when the watch was called , a few minutes afterwards , I got the topgallant-sails , royals , flying jib , main-topgallant , royal , and mizen - topmast-staysails all on the old barkie again , and we began to smoke through it , I can tell you . That done , I set the stranger by compass , and for the first hour or so I thought we were holding our own ; but by sunset I could see -- a great deal too plainly for my own comfort -- that the brig was both weathering and fore-reaching upon us . Still she was a long way off , and had the night been dark I should have tried to dodge the fellow ; but that unfortunately was no use ; the sun was no sooner set than the moon rose , and of course he could see us even more plainly than we could see him . At seven o'clock he tacked , and then I felt pretty sure he meant mischief ; and when , at a little before eight bells , he tacked again , this time directly in our wake , I had no further doubt about it . At this time he was about eight miles astern of us , and at midnight he ranged up on our weather quarter , slapped his broadside of seven 18-pound shot right into us without a word of warning , and ordered us to at once heave-to . My owners had unfortunately sent me to sea with only half a dozen muskets on board , and not an ounce of powder or shot ; so what could I do ? Nothing , of course , but heave-to as I was bid ; and we accordingly backed the main topsail without a moment 's delay .