five in the
evening
Here his eye caught mine , and a few words sufficed to explain how we were situated , and then the only bother was how to get ashore , and where we were to sojourn , so as to have our clothes dried , as nothing could now be done until daylight . I therefore got our friends safely into a Nassau boat alongside , with their wet trunks and portmanteaus in charge of their black servants , and left them to fish their way to their lodging-house as they best could . By this , the wounded and the sound part of the crew had been placed on board of two merchant brigs , that lay close to us ; and the masters of them proving accommodating men , I got them alongside , as the tide flowed , one on the starboard , the other on the larboard side , right over the Wave ; and next forenoon , when they took the ground , we rigged two spare topmasts from one vessel to another , and making the main and fore rigging of the schooner fast to them , as the tide once more made , we weighed her , and floated her alongside of the sheer-hulk , against which we were enabled to heave her out , so as to get at the leak , and then by rigging bilge-pumps , we contrived to free her and keep her dry . The damaged plank was soon removed ; and , being in a fair way to surmount all my difficulties , about half-past five in the evening I equipped myself in dry clothes , and proceeded on shore to call on our friends at their new domicile . When I entered . I was shown into the dining hall by my ally , Pegtop . `` Massa will be here presently , sir . ''