noon
This they succeeded in doing , the ship 's quarter being by this time slewed so far off the sandbank that she now lay , with regard to the general run of it , at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees ; and then the windlass positively refused to turn any further , even to the extent of a single pawl . The men therefore left it , as we felt that nothing was to be gained by snapping the hawser , which was now strained to the utmost limit of its endurance . The fully-loaded longboat was now dropped astern , and the longboat of the _ Dolores _ , in which we had been picked up , and which , it will be remembered , Carter had felt impelled to hoist inboard -- was brought alongside in her place , and she , too , was loaded as deeply as it was safe to venture . It was noon by this time , the tide had turned , the ship remained immovable , and the men 's dinner - hour had arrived ; the second longboat was therefore dropped astern , and the hands knocked off for their midday meal . In addition to her longboat the _ Indian Queen _ carried a jolly-boat , a dinghy , and four very fine , roomy gigs , two of which hung in davits in the wake of the mizzen rigging while the other two were supported on a gallows that stood abaft the mainmast . It will be seen , therefore , that , even apart from the longboat and gig of the _ Dolores _ , this ship was very well supplied with boats , only two of which -- the two longboats -- were thus far loaded . The gigs , although they were of course of much smaller capacity than the longboats , and having fixed thwarts were not so adaptable for the purpose of temporarily receiving cargo , were nevertheless capable of being made very good use of , and in the afternoon they were brought alongside and loaded one after another , until all four of the ship 's own gigs were as deep in the water as it was prudent to put them , when they also were dropped astern , leaving only the dinghy , and the gig of the _ Dolores _ , unutilised .