two in the afternoon
The bearers then advanced steadily up the steep side of the mountain till they reached those who , by holding on to the rope , relieved them of any downward weight . The rope was then shifted to a stump farther up , and the advance was continued . Thus they may be said to have warped the canoe up the mountain ! By two in the afternoon everything was got to the summit . Then Mackenzie , axe in hand , led the way forward . The progress was slow , the work exhausting . Through every species of country they cut their way .