One
o'clock
Each individual , therefore , from Lord Exmouth to the smallest powder-monkey , was as well primed for action as were the guns of the fleet when the flag of truce returned . It had been met outside the mole about eleven AM by the captain of the port , and an answer was promised in two hours . But these pirates had never been celebrated for keeping their word . One o'clock passed , but no answer was forthcoming . Patient and long-suffering as usual -- and as he always is -- the British Lion delayed a full hour . `` Ah , boys , if we wait till we git a peaceful answer from them villains , we 'll wait till doomsday , so we will , '' said Ted Flaggan to the men of the gun to which he had attached himself . Ted had thrown off his burnous and washed himself by this time , and now , clad in a borrowed pair of ducks and striped shirt , he stood by the gun commenting pleasantly on his experiences of Algerine life , and pointing out the various buildings and objects of interest in the city to his mates .