nine o'clock in the evening
He turned away , and Mr. Brown , unable to decide whether he was mad or drunk , or both , walked back , and , squeezing himself up in the bows , looked miserably over the sea . Behind him the men disported themselves with Master Jones , and once , looking over his shoulder , he actually saw the skipper giving him a lesson in steering . By the following afternoon he was in such a state of collapse that , when they put in at the small port of Withersea to discharge a portion of their cargo , he obtained permission to stay below in his bunk . Work proceeded without him , and at nine o'clock in the evening they sailed again , and it was not until they were a couple of miles on their way to Dimport that Mr. Legge rushed aft with the announcement that he was missing . `` Do n't talk nonsense , '' said the skipper , as he came up from below in response to a hail from the mate . `` It 's a fact , sir , '' said Mr. Legge , shaking his head . `` What 's to be done with the boy ? ''