three o'clock
Miserable men ! there was no prospect of a dinner . They were obliged to do detestable penance upon cold fowl and ham , liquified with nothing better than claret , burgundy , and the small solace derivable from the best brandy , mixed with filtrated water in most praiseworthy moderation . At three o'clock we had the _ Jean Bart _ perfectly in sight , and we could , from the foreyard , observe well the motions of those on deck . The master was broiling his very red nose over his sextant in the forestay sail netting , when it was reported that the Frenchman was getting aft his two long brass bow chasers ; and in half an hour after , we had the report from the said brass bellowers themselves , followed by the whistling of the shot , one wide of the ship , but the other smack through our foresail , and which must have passed very near the nose of our respectable master . Most of the officers , myself with the rest , were standing on the forecastle . Though not the first shot that I had seen fired in anger , it certainly was the first that had ever hissed by me .