three o'clock
`` Things do n't work out that way in the Coast Guard . You 'll see . We 'll stick here till the last gun 's fired . '' It was a relief to Eric when at three o'clock that afternoon he was ordered to accompany a shore party . All hands had been on duty since seven that morning , and when Eric went ashore the sailors were keeping regular shifts with shovels , clearing the decks , while four streams of water from the fire mains were playing incessantly in an effort to clear the ship of its horrible burden . More than once , when the rain of volcanic débris grew especially heavy , the men fell behind , work as hard as they might . Herein lay real danger , for if the deck-load of ashes grew too heavy the _ Bear _ might turn turtle .