about
ten o'clock
Accustomed to boats , he picked out that which he thought would be the fastest , and then walked away for half a mile , and lay down to sleep until the village was silent for the night . He had with him some oaten cakes he had bought there , a string of fish he had purchased from the boatmen , and with these and the dates he thought he could manage for four or five days at least . As to water , he could only hope that he should find a supply on board the boat . When he judged it to be about ten o'clock he went down to the shore again , took off his clothes and made them into a bundle ; then , wading out into the water to within fifty yards of the felucca , swam off to it , towing the bundle behind him . He had no difficulty in climbing on board , and after dressing himself in the clothes he had worn at Tripoli , and had kept on underneath the Arab attire , he pulled the head rope until the craft was nearly over the anchor . He then loosened the line that brailed up the sail , got the stone that served as an anchor on board , hauled the sheet aft , and took his place at the tiller . The wind had dropped a good deal with the sun , but there was still sufficient air to send the light craft fast through the water .