one o'clock
`` After leaving Suva Suva Bay , Fiji , where we filled up the last remaining space in the _ Cranky Jane 's _ hold with copra -- which is a lot of cocoa-nuts smashed up so as to stow easy , out of which they make oil at home for moderator lamps -- we went south further than I ever went before in any ship . Captain Jiggins , as I heard him explaining to the first officer when I was taking my trick at the wheel , and blessing the brig as usual for her stiff helm , intended making the quickest passage that ever was made , he said , by striking down into them outlandish latitudes before he steered east and made the Horn ; and I suppose he knew what he was about , as he was as good a navigator as ever handled a sextant . _ He _ called it great circle sailing ; but _ I _ called it queer - sailing ; and so did most of the hands , barring Bill the boatswain , who said the captain was right ; but anyways , right or wrong , it led us into an ugly corner , as you shall hear . `` Well , we went down the latitudes like one o'clock , the brig , running free before the north-east monsoon as if she were sailing for a wager in a barge-race on the Thames ; and the weather as fine as you please , warm and sunny -- too much so , sometimes -- so that a man had n't to do a stroke of work on board , save to take his turn at the wheel . Watch on deck , and watch below , we had nothing to do but loll about , with a stray pull at a brace here and a sheet there , or else walk into our grub and then turn into our bunks ; for Cap ` en Jiggins was the proper sort of skipper . None of your making work for him when there was nothing to do ; but when the hands were wanted , why he did expect them to look alive , and have no skulking -- small blame to him , say I , for one ! `` We had run down below the parallel of Cape Horn , pretty considerable I should think , when we at last had to ask the old brig to bear up eastwards to lie her proper course ; and then you should have seen the tricks she played -- confound her !