noon
No doubt , his amiable purpose in bringing me to his den was to frighten me , and enjoy my fright . Be that as it may , I took the matter as coolly as the heat of the place would permit me . The first lesson in bravery is to assume the appearance of it ; the second , to sustain the appearance ; and third will find you with all that courage `` that doth become a man . '' By noon we had a staggering breeze . We could now perceive that we were chasing a large corvette , though from the end-on view we had of her , we could not count her ports . The _ Eos _ seemed to fly through the water . At one o'clock the spars began to complain -- preventer braces were rove , but no one thought of shortening sail .