four o'clock
And well he might be . The first assistant engineer had been driving the _ Narcissus _ for an hour at full speed at right angles to the course he believed she was pursuing . He would , being totally ignorant of the change of masters , continue to drive her at full speed until midnight , when he would come off watch , tired and sleepy , and go straight to his state-room . The second assistant would go direct from his state-room to duty in the engine-room and continue to drive the _ Narcissus _ at full speed until four o'clock , and inasmuch as it would be quite dark still when the third assistant came on at four o'clock to relieve the engineer on watch , there was not the slightest doubt in the minds of Murphy and the chief but that the deception could go on until breakfast . However , that would interfere with their plans . Long before that hour the men locked in the forecastle would have discovered their plight , and the noise of the discovery might reach below decks and bring up , to investigate , just a few more husky firemen and coal passers than even the redoubtable Terence Reardon could hope to cope with successfully . `` By four o'clock we 'll be more than fifty miles off the course Schultz was holding her on , '' the captain suggested .