four o'clock
The regular course of instruction was in progress in both vessels , the starboard watch of each being in the steerage , attending to their studies , while the port watch were on deck , in charge of the sailing department . Mr. Lowington paced the deck of the ship , and , with the habit of an old sailor , frequently cast his eyes aloft to see what sails were drawing . Occasionally , from a custom begotten of his solicitude for his charge , he glanced at the Josephine . The squadron did not make even a mile an hour ; and when the watch was changed , at four o'clock , there was not a breath of air to ruffle the glassy waves . The ship rolled and pitched on the swells , and the sails slapped against the masts and rigging under the effect of her motion . The young seamen on deck , without being in a hurry , were annoyed and vexed , as all sailors are in a calm . They partook of the heaviness of the scene , and gaped and yawned , from mere inactivity , and the want of something to occupy their minds .