four o'clock in the morning
As , unavoidably , we rocked their pallets , the man-of-war 's - men would cry out against us ; through the mutterings of curses , the corpse reached the hatchway . Here the board slipped , and some time was spent in readjusting the body . At length we deposited it on the gun-deck , between two guns , and a union-jack being thrown over it for a pall , I was left again to watch by its side . I had not been seated on my shot-box three minutes , when the messenger-boy passed me on his way forward ; presently the slow , regular stroke of the ship 's great bell was heard , proclaiming through the calm the expiration of the watch ; it was four o'clock in the morning . Poor Shenly ! thought I , that sounds like your knell ! and here you lie becalmed , in the last calm of all !