about seven in the morning
They seemed satisfied , but a deal of whispering went on -- and I felt certain that had Tully given them the word , they would have there and then rushed us and captured the boat . `` Wal , I must be goin ' , '' said Tully at last ; `` when do you think you 'll be down ? The king will be mighty vexed at not seein ' you to-day . '' `` It 's only eight miles across , '' I said carelessly , `` so I daresay we 'll be there about seven in the morning , before breakfast . But , '' I added , to allay his suspicions , `` the weather may take up a bit this afternoon ; if it does , I 'll come along rightaway , after we have had a sleep . '' He said that the chances were that it would take up , as the wind was hauling more to the eastward , which meant rain , and once rain fell the wind would fall too . We had a third drink , and I passed a couple of bottles of square-face oyer to his crew , and then , to our intense satisfaction , Tally went over the side into his own boat , which at once pushed off , and in a few minutes was slipping over the lagoon towards the big village , Tolly waving his dirty Panama hat to us as he stood grasping the steer oar .