about nine
o'clock at night
We anchored to wood and water at the Bay of Truxillo , and then sailed on , touching at various other places till , on the evening of the 16th , we anchored in Porto Carvalho Bay , not far from the place we had come to attack . Night had set in before we approached the land , so that there was little fear that the enemy would obtain notice of our approach . All of us were in high spirits at the thoughts of fighting the Spaniards , and O'Driscoll and I agreed that it was far better than having to make war on the Americans , whom , rebels as they might be called , we could not help looking on as our brothers and cousins . All arrangements had in the most judicious way been previously made , so that we were ready , directly the anchors were dropped , about nine o'clock at night , to commence landing our forces . Everything was done with the most perfect order and in complete silence . The boats from all the ships were lowered , and about three hundred seamen and marines , with about a hundred and fifty Indians , volunteers and regulars , were embarked in them . The oars were let fall in the water , and together they pulled in for the shore .