three o'clock
On the western side there are two narrow ship passages , both exceedingly dangerous on account of their being studded with numerous coral `` mushrooms '' -- i.e. , enormous boulders of coral rock , which , resembling a mushroom in shape , come to within a few feet of the surface of the water . Through these passages , the tide , especially the ebb , rushes with great velocity -- six or seven knots at least -- and vessels when leaving the lagoon , generally waited till slack water , or the first of the flood , when with the usual strong south-east trades , they could stem the current and avoid the dangerous `` mushrooms . '' But no shipmaster would ever attempt either of these passages , except in the morning , when the sun was astern , and he could , from aloft , con the ship . After two or three o'clock , the sun would be directly in his face , and render it almost impossible for him to get through without striking . Here then was the position when Evers , cheerfully smoking a cigar , and smiling all over his handsome face , gave the order to heave up . It was blowing very strongly , the tide was on the ebb , the sun was directly in our faces , and we were to tear through a narrow passage at racehorse speed without being able to see anything . I ventured to suggest to him that it was a bit late for us to get under way .