about one o’clock in the morning
As soon as it was very dark two or three boats pushed out from the Hornet , and rowed swiftly to shore , passing a Customs boat as they went , which was saluted by the officers in command . After this , boats kept passing backward and forward for a long time between the Hornet and the shore , which was natural , seeing that a first night in port is a sort of holiday for officers and men . If these sailors had been watched closely , however , it would have been seen that they visited but few saloons on shore , and drank little , and then evidently as a blind . Close watching would also have discovered the fact that there were a few people on shore who were glad to see the safe arrival of the Hornet , and who , about one o'clock in the morning , almost fell on the neck of Captain Shewell as they bade him good bye . Then , for the rest of the night , coal was carried out to the Hornet in boats and barges . By daybreak her coal was aboard , then came cleaning up , and preparations to depart . Captain Shewell 's eye was now much on the Cormorant .