noon
At 5 p.m. I fired six guns as signals for a pilot , but night coming on with the accustomed bad weather , I wore and stood out to sea . The next morning I bore away for Truxillo , on the Spanish main . At 10 a.m. , being close in-shore , the wind shifted , and blew a heavy gale with very thick weather , which obliged me to stand to the eastward . At noon , though we lost sight of the land , I found that we were in very shoal water , and as may be supposed I became very anxious when I found that there was no one on board who had ever been there before , or was at all acquainted with the coast . All we knew was that it was considered a very dangerous and difficult one . Since we left Omoa , from not having even seen the sun , I had been unable to take an observation , nor had I any chart of the Gulf of Honduras in the ship . My officers , as were all on board , were as well aware as I was myself of the danger the ship was in , and a bright look-out was kept for the land .