eight
o'clock
You will understand that under the lower-deck was fitted a cistern , into which the sea-water was received and then pumped up by a hand pump , fixed in the middle of the gun-deck , for the purpose of washing the two lower gun-decks ; the water was let into this cistern by a pipe which passed through the ship 's side , and which was secured by a stop-cock , on the inside . It had been found the morning before that this water-cock , which was about three feet below the water line , was out of order and must be repaired . The foreman came off from the dockyard , and said that it was necessary to careen the ship over to port sufficiently to raise the mouth of the pipe , which went through the ship 's timbers below , clean out of the water , that he and his men might work at it . Between seven and eight o'clock the order was given to run the larboard guns out as far as they could go , the larboard ports being opened . The starboard guns were also run in amidships and secured by tackles , the moving over of this great weight of metal bringing the larboard lower-deck port-cills just level with the water . The men were then able to get at the mouth of the pipe . For an hour the ship remained in this position , while the carpenters were at work .