noon
English sailors were welcome enough , of course , particularly if they were willing to desert , or had recently been paid off , or were supposed to be engaged in smuggling . Among the vessels at anchor were three French war-ships , one Dutch cruiser , undergoing repairs , and a smart-looking British corvette that was lying well out from shore . All of these were under treaty bonds to keep the peace with each other and with the world in general , but Brest was also distinguished as a port into which all navies at peace with France might bring their prizes for condemnation and sale , according to existing maritime law . A little after the noon , the loungers on the piers might have taken notice , if they would , of a large schooner that was slipping in through the strongly fortified entrance channel under little more than her foresail . She either had a French pilot on board or was steered by a man who knew the harbor , for she went at once to the right spot to drop her anchor , and a boat shortly put out from her toward the shore . `` There 's a French flag on a Yankee-built schooner , '' remarked an officer of the British corvette . `` That 's because we are here .