midnight
We made a clean sweep of the comestibles , washed all down with a cup or two of tea , and then started for Kingston , finally arriving on board the `` Astarte '' about noon . We remained at Port Royal two days longer , during which we gave the craft a brush of paint inside and out , and otherwise titivated her up after her run out from England , when we received orders to sail upon a three-months ' cruise among the Windward Islands . We accordingly weighed , and stood out to sea with the first of the land breeze ; and , having cleared the shoals , hauled up on the port tack , keeping close under the land to take all possible advantage of the land breeze in making our easting . By midnight we were off Morant Point , from which we took our departure ; and in another hour were tearing along under topgallant-sails , upon a taut bowline , and looking well up for the Island of Grenada , under the influence of a strong trade-wind . The skipper was most anxious to thoroughly test the sailing powers of the `` Astarte , '' this being the first time that an opportunity had occurred for so doing ; and we accordingly carried on all next day , taxing the toughness of our spars to their utmost limit , and so satisfactory was the result that all hands , fore and aft , felt sanguine that we should meet with very few craft able to beat us either in the matter of speed or weatherliness . The `` Astarte '' also proved to be a very pretty sea-boat , though a trifle wet when being driven hard -- but then , what craft is not ? As we drew to the southward the trade-wind hauled round a trifle farther from the eastward , its prevailing direction being about E.N.E. .