midnight
Mendouca , I must mention , had already compelled the _ Bangalore 's _ surgeon to dress his wound for him ; and now , having given his orders to one of the men whom he considered the most reliable and trustworthy of his crew , he returned to the _ Francesca _ , and , with the aid of his son Pedro , was got into his bunk , where I could hear him from time to time grinding his teeth in agony , although , such was the spirit of the man , not a groan would he permit to escape him . The sun had set , and the velvet dusk of the tropics was closing down upon the scene , when at length the _ Bangalore 's _ boats were hoisted out , and the work of transhipping the booty began . Mendouca must have felt himself a second Kidd , for the ship was almost as rich a prize as one of the old Acapulco galleons ; there were bales of rich silks and shawls , spices , caskets of gems , ingots of gold , exquisite embroidered muslins , and I know not what beside -- goods of a value sufficient , it seemed to me , to make every rascal on the books of the _ Francesca _ rich for the remainder of his life , although they were of course unable to take more than a comparatively small quantity of the _ Bangalore 's _ entire cargo . Nevertheless , they contrived to find room for a goodly proportion of the most costly and valuable contents of the vessel 's hold , the transfer of which , and of as much food and water as they deemed necessary to their requirements , occupied the crew until midnight ; for in Mendouca 's absence , as may be supposed , they did not trouble to exert themselves overmuch . Moreover , a large proportion of them were in such a state of intoxication they scarcely knew what they were doing -- my especial _ bete-noir _ the boatswain among the number , he having seized an early opportunity to board the ship after Mendouca had been safely bestowed in his own cabin . I did not know this until told so by Simpson , the English man whom I have already mentioned as having been left on board the _ Francesca _ that afternoon with the boatswain and myself , who added to his information -- `` Better keep your weather-eye liftin ' , Mr Dugdale , sir ; that Jose 's full of spite as an egg 's full of meat ; he have never forgiven you for knockin ' him down , and have swore over and over again to put his knife into you . And now that he 's full of drink , and the skipper 's on his beam-ends , he 's just as likely as not to try it . ''