midnight
As Hawtry said , however , that they had been twenty-four hours without food , they were at once taken to the saloon , where breakfast was on the point of being served . No questions were put to them until they had satisfied their hunger ; then they told the story of their adventures , which caused quite an excitement among the officers . The `` Ripon '' had sailed from Southampton docks on the 23d of February , in company with the `` Manilla '' and `` Orinoco . '' The next four days passed pleasantly , the boys being made a good deal of by the officers of the Coldstream Guards , but they were not sorry when , on Saturday evening , the lights of Malta were seen , and soon after midnight they dropped anchor in Valetta Harbor . The next morning they were delighted at seeing the `` Falcon '' lying a few cables ' length distant , and , bidding good-bye to their new friends , they hailed a shore boat , and were soon alongside the `` Falcon . '' The first lieutenant was on deck . `` Young gentlemen , '' he said sternly , `` you have committed a very serious offence , and are liable to be tried by court-martial for having deserted your ship .