five o'clock in the evening
Work must be suspended for the present . There was no fear of the brig being carried away by the sea , for she was already fixed as firmly as if moored by her anchors . They could therefore , without inconvenience , wait until the next day to resume operations ; but , as to the vessel herself , she was doomed , and it would be best to hasten to save the remains of her hull , as she would not be long in disappearing in the quicksands of the channel . It was now five o'clock in the evening . It had been a hard day 's work for the men . They ate with good appetite , and , notwithstanding their fatigue , they could not resist , after dinner , their desire of inspecting the cases which composed the cargo of the _ Speedy _ . Most of them contained clothes , which , as may be believed , were well received .