About noon
Of course I gratified this laudable desire to obtain knowledge , and Neb seemed still more pleased than ever , now he had ascertained that New Jersey was a State . Travelling was not as much of an every-day occupation , at that time , as it is now ; and it was , in truth , something for three American lads , all under nineteen , to be able to say that they had seen a State , other than their own . Notwithstanding the rapid progress we had made for the first few hours of our undertaking , the voyage was far from being ended . About noon the wind came out light from the southward , and , having a flood-tide , we were compelled to anchor . This made us all uneasy , for , while we were stationary , we did not seem to be running away . The ebb came again , at length , however , and then we made sail , and began to turn down with the tide . It was near sunset before we got a view of the two or three spires that then piloted strangers to the town .