four in the afternoon
Well , the result was that I went . My father 's lugger carried twelve hands -- I counted myself , of course ; and indeed my father did the same when it came to charging for the crew . Still , twelve was not an out-of-the-way number , since in these _ chasse-marees _ one must lower and rehoist the big sails at every fresh tack . As it happened , however , we had a fair wind right across from Roscoff , and made a good landfall of the Dodman at four in the afternoon , just twenty hours after starting . This was a trifle too early for us ; so we dowsed sail , to escape notice , and waited for nightfall . As soon as it grew dark , we lowered the two tub-boats we carried -- one on davits and the other inboard -- and loaded them up and started to pull for shore , leaving two men behind on the lugger . My father steered the first boat , and I the other , keeping close in his wake -- and a proud night that was for me !