about
two o'clock in the morning
A little reflection , however , caused me to alter my plans and to determine upon escorting the _ Three Sisters _ to her destination , lest she should haply encounter Morillo on the way , in which case the fate of her defenceless prize crew would probably be too dreadful to bear thinking about . As soon , therefore , as we were clear of the harbour I set the course for Jamaica , and away we both went , cheek by jowl , the brig -- with a roaring breeze over her starboard quarter -- reeling off her six and a half knots per hour with as much fuss and splutter as though she were going fifteen ! For the first two days nothing of any importance occurred . On the third night out from Cariacou , however , -- or , to be strictly accurate , about two o'clock in the morning , -- it being my watch on deck , the night dark and somewhat overcast , two sails were sighted on our starboard bow , heading to the eastward on the port tack , and steering a course which would bring them close to us . One of them was a craft of considerable size , the other a small vessel ; and from the moment that these two facts became apparent , I made up my mind that one was the prize of the other , though which of the two was the captor , there was just then no means of ascertaining . The smaller craft was perhaps a privateer , and the big one her prize ; or -- quite as likely -- the big craft might be a frigate , and the small craft her prize . In either case , however , it behoved me to be very careful ; for one of the two was almost certain to be an enemy , and if she happened to be also the captor of the other it was more than probable she would tackle us .