nine o'clock
They applied to the captain for leave in the usual way , but , as they had anticipated , it was refused , so they had to look about for some means of getting away from the ship without being observed , and they managed it very simply , thus . The next morning a boat laden with fruit came out to the _ Pericles _ , in the hope that her crew would purchase some , as the ship had been ordered by the authorities to remain at her moorings until further notice , in consequence of the wharfage being required for military purposes . Jim and Terry thereupon got into conversation with the man in charge of the boat , and made arrangements with him to come off that same night in a small skiff and take them ashore . It required both time and money to induce the fellow to fall in with the scheme , but he at last consented ; and he proved as good as his word , for at nine o'clock that evening he quietly dropped alongside , gave the pre - arranged signal , and a few minutes later both the young men , with all their belongings , were being pulled ashore to seek their fortune in a new land and under another flag . They little knew , when they stepped ashore at the Custom House quay , what adventures were in store for them , what trials they would be called upon to undergo , what perils they would pass through ; but even if they could have foreseen them all it is very doubtful whether they would have hesitated . They paid the man , and , chartering a conveyance , drove away to the nearest hotel , where they put up for the remainder of the night , fully determined that the following morning should see their project put into execution , and that the evening should find them duly enrolled as officers in the Chilian navy . Although the two lads went to bed early , intending to get a good night 's rest so that they might be up and doing betimes the next morning , they soon found that sleep was well-nigh out of the question , by reason of the uproar that never ceased the whole night through .