about two o’clock
`` It is now within a few days of three years since what I am going to tell you occurred . It was on the tenth day of July , 18 - , a day which the people of this part of the world will never forget -- for it was one in which blew the most terrible hurricane that ever came out of the heavens . And yet all the morning , and indeed until late in the afternoon , there was a gentle and steady breeze from the south-west , while the sun shone brightly , so that the oldest seaman among us could not have foreseen what was to follow . `` The three of us -- my two brothers and myself -- had crossed over to the islands about two o'clock P. M. , and had soon nearly loaded the smack with fine fish , which , we all remarked , were more plenty that day than we had ever known them . It was just seven , _ by my watch _ , when we weighed and started for home , so as to make the worst of the Ström at slack water , which we knew would be at eight . `` We set out with a fresh wind on our starboard quarter , and for some time spanked along at a great rate , never dreaming of danger , for indeed we saw not the slightest reason to apprehend it . All at once we were taken aback by a breeze from over Helseggen .