about
midnight
One more vessel was required , and Jack , pulling two oars as usual , saluted a galliot heavily laden , but of what her cargo consisted was not known . In this vessel they found two men in the cabin playing cards , whom they seized and bound and , cutting her cables , were obliged to make sail upon her , as she was much too large to sweep out . As they were making sail they , however , met with an interruption which they did not expect . The crew belonging to the vessel , having had enough amusement for the evening , and intending to sail the next morning , had thought it right to come off sooner than the others : it was then about midnight or a little later , and while some of Jack 's men were aloft , for he had six with him , Jack , to his annoyance , heard a boat coming off from the shore , the men in her singing a chorus . The galliot was at that time just under steerage way , her topsails had been loosed and her jib hoisted , but the former had not been sheeted home , for the three men below could not , in the dark , find the ropes . The other three men were on the fore-yard loosing the foresail , and Jack was undetermined whether to call them down immediately , or to allow them to loose the sail , and thus get good way on the vessel , so as to prevent the boat , which was loaded with men , from overtaking them . The boat was not more than twenty yards from the galliot , when , not finding her where they left her , they pulled to the right , and lay on their oars .