six o’clock
Oh , oh , de wery day we hab dat beautiful grouper wid claret sauce at Massa Whiffie 's . Oh , make me laugh to hear white gentleman mark great fight in him memory by what him eat de day de news come ; so , Massa Captain Cringle , me no quite sure weder Massa Wagtail will fight or no . '' So saying , Pegtop , Chew Chew , and Yampea , each shouldered two muskets apiece , and betook themselves to the after part of the schooner , where they forthwith set themselves to scour , and oil , and clean the same , in a most skilful manner . I expected the breeze would have freshened as the day broke , but I was disappointed ; it fell , towards six o'clock , nearly calm . Come , thought I , we may as well go to breakfast ; and my guests and I forthwith sat down to our morning meal . Soon after , the wind died away altogether -- and `` out sweeps '' was the word ; but I soon saw we had no chance with the chase at this game , and as to attacking him with the boats , it was entirely out of the question ; neither could I , in the prospect of a battle , afford to murder the people , by pulling all day under a roasting sun , against one who could man his sweeps with relays of slaves , without one of his crew putting a finger to them ; so I reluctantly laid them in , and there I stood looking at him the whole forenoon , as he gradually drew ahead of us . At length I piped to dinner , and the men having finished theirs , were again on deck ; but the calm still continued ; and seeing no chance of it freshening , about four in the afternoon we sat down to ours in the cabin .