four in the afternoon
As the young officer watched the changes of the smoky pall that proclaimed the awful and mysterious forces slumbering deep down in the bosom of the earth , he was suddenly aroused from his reflective mood by the shrill whistles and hoarse cries of the boatswain 's mates , and in another minute the watch began to shorten sail : a faint greenish tinge in the western sky , quickly noted by the master , who was an old sailor in Eastern seas , told of danger from that quarter . Although the typhoon season had not yet set in , and both Captain Reay and the master knew that in that latitude -LRB- about 4 deg . south -RRB- there was not very much probability of meeting with one , every preparation was made , as violent squalls and heavy rain , at least , were certain to follow the greenish warning in the sky . In a very short time their surmise proved correct , for by four in the afternoon the _ Triton _ under short canvas , was battling with a mountainous sea and furious gusts of wind from the W.N. W . The presence of so much land around them , surrounded by networks of outlying reefs , the strong and erratic currents , and the approaching night , gave Captain Reay much concern , and it was with a feeling of intense relief that he acceded to the master 's suggestion to bring the ship to an anchor in a harbour situated among the cluster of islands that the ship had passed early in the day . `` We can lie there as snugly as if we were in dock , '' said the master ; `` the holding ground is good , and there is room for half a dozen line-of-battle ships . '' Then , pointing to the chart lying before him , he added , `` The place is called Tyar , and , curiously enough , was first made known to the Admiral at Calcutta by a Captain Channing , one or the Company 's men .