About three o’clock in the morning
The rain had given place to light mists , which a breath of wind dispersed , and the heavy masses of cloud had separated , and now streaked the sky in long bands . The OMBU was borne onward so rapidly by the impetuous torrent , that anyone might have supposed some powerful locomotive engine was hidden in its trunk . It seemed likely enough they might continue drifting in this way for days . About three o'clock in the morning , however , the Major noticed that the roots were beginning to graze the ground occasionally , and by sounding the depth of the water with a long branch , Tom Austin found that they were getting on rising ground . Twenty minutes afterward , the OMBU stopped short with a violent jolt . `` Land ! land ! ''