about seven o'clock in the evening
This was because of the fact that the Peruvians had constructed several fast torpedo-boats which prowled round the fleet after dark and attempted to torpedo the vessels composing it ; and also to avoid the peril of the floating mines which the enemy put into the water at the mouth of the harbour and allowed to drift down upon the Chilian vessels with the tide . The flagship had , in particular , been made the objective of several of these torpedo attacks ; and it was this fact which put into the head of the admiral a scheme which he had now been turning over in his mind for some days past . On the 8th of May a meeting of officers was convened in Admiral Riveros ' cabin on board the flagship ; and Jim was one of the officers present . It was about seven o'clock in the evening , and darkness had already closed in , the fleet then steaming , in double column of line abreast , on and off , about two miles to seaward of their anchorage . As soon as all the Chilian officers had come aboard Riveros took his seat at the head of the cabin table , and straightway plunged into business . `` As you are aware , gentlemen , '' he began , `` we have now been lying before Callao for nearly three weeks ; and , despite our best endeavours , the town still remains untaken , and the way to Lima is still closed to us . This can not be permitted to continue very much longer ; for we are running short of provisions and coal , while the ships ' bottoms are getting so foul that , should the need for fast steaming arise , we should find that the vessels are incapable of making their top speed by at least two or three knots .