three in the
afternoon
Darkness put a stop to the pursuit , but again we hugged the enemy all night , hoping that next day would see the conclusion of this long-drawn battle . When the third morning dawned , we spied the enemy about a mile and a half ahead . Of our ships the half-crippled Ruby was nearest , the Falmouth next ; the rest were but indifferently near , the Greenwich indeed lying full three leagues astern , though the admiral had never struck his signal for battle night or day . For many hours the wind blew easterly , but at three in the afternoon it shifted to the south and gave the enemy the weather gauge . In tacking we fetched within gunshot of the sternmost of them , and for half an hour or so we kept up a brisk bombardment ; but our line was still much out of order , and some of our ships being even now three miles astern , nothing more could be done . And so another day passed . The other vessels had not come within speaking distance of us , and it seemed that all hope of bringing the enemy to a decisive engagement must be abandoned .