about four o'clock in the morning
The ship , however , was by no means a large one : a Russian craft built on the Siberian coast , and purchased by my uncle after bartering away the vessel in which he sailed from home . In that up and down manly book of old-fashioned adventure , so full , too , of honest wonders -- the voyage of Lionel Wafer , one of ancient Dampier 's old chums -- I found a little matter set down so like that just quoted from Langsdorff , that I can not forbear inserting it here for a corroborative example , if such be needed . Lionel , it seems , was on his way to `` John Ferdinando , '' as he calls the modern Juan Fernandes . `` In our way thither , '' he says , `` about four o'clock in the morning , when we were about one hundred and fifty leagues from the Main of America , our ship felt a terrible shock , which put our men in such consternation that they could hardly tell where they were or what to think ; but every one began to prepare for death . And , indeed , the shock was so sudden and violent , that we took it for granted the ship had struck against a rock ; but when the amazement was a little over , we cast the lead , and sounded , but found no ground . ... The suddenness of the shock made the guns leap in their carriages , and several of the men were shaken out of their hammocks . Captain Davis , who lay with his head on a gun , was thrown out of his cabin ! ''