midday
The latter was a comfortable room , the panelling tastefully done in oak and mahogany , with a rich Brussels carpet and luxurious settees . I was very much pleased with the accommodation , and also with Tibbs the captain , a bluff , sailor-like fellow , with a loud voice and hearty manner , who welcomed me to the ship with effusion , and insisted upon our splitting a bottle of wine in his cabin . He told me that he intended to take his wife and youngest child with him on the voyage , and that he hoped with good luck to make Lisbon in three weeks . We had a pleasant chat and parted the best of friends , he warning me to make the last of my preparations next morning , as he intended to make a start by the midday tide , having now shipped all his cargo . I went back to my hotel , where I found a letter from my wife awaiting me , and , after a refreshing night 's sleep , returned to the boat in the morning . From this point I am able to quote from the journal which I kept in order to vary the monotony of the long sea-voyage . If it is somewhat bald in places I can at least rely upon its accuracy in details , as it was written conscientiously from day to day .