two o'clock
Steering the _ Catspaw _ with the sea almost up to her deck line was a good deal like steering a scow loaded with pig-iron , Joe decided . Not , of course , that he had ever steered a scow of any sort , but he had imagination . The _ Adventurer _ and _ Follow Me _ were heading West Southwest one-fourth West to pass Boon Island to starboard , and Kittery Point lay some thirty miles away . As it was then just short of three bells , and as they were making , as near as those aboard the _ Catspaw _ could judge , very nearly three miles an hour , it seemed probable that by two o'clock that night they would be at anchor off Portsmouth Harbour . Of course , there was always the possibility of bad weather or a broken cable , but the _ Catspaw 's _ crew declined to be pessimistic . They were having a royal good time . There was enough danger in the enterprise to make it exciting , and , being normal , healthy chaps , excitement was better than food .