about nine o'clock
Here was I , a slip of a lad , alone and helpless , out in the open sea , in a schooner that three men could only with difficulty manage . I had but small skill in seamanship . I knew almost nothing of my whereabouts , and , added to these disadvantages , I had the physical discomforts to endure of fatigue , hunger , and cold . At about nine o'clock I went below to get something to eat . The fire was out , so I could not make any coffee ; but there was a bottle of spirits in the locker , and fancying this might do me good I , for the first time in my life , drank some . I at once felt much warmer , and I took half a glassful with some water and drank it with the oatcake and cold bacon that I ate . Going on deck again , I felt much more comfortable ; but the spirits that had warmed my vitals soon had an effect upon me that I had not counted upon .