three o'clock
She had come round expressly on this service from the West coast of Ireland , where she had been hovering for some time back . The officer , who commanded the Falcon , had no doubt found his mistake before we did : but it seemed that , both for the honor of his flag and on account of the affecting occasion , he resolved to fight her under any odds . The wind moderated at this time : but he kept on his course , and neared her fast . `` At three o'clock the Falcon ranged up within pistol shot . At this moment the Rattlesnake showed her colors -- black , striped with horizontal crimson bars , the well-known flag of a rover that had of late years fixed his nest in the Gallapagos , and thence infested the South Seas . Not a shot had yet been exchanged : and just before the action commenced we could distinguish Griffiths making her way across the decks from the cabin to the cock-pit . Oh !