six o'clock in the
morning
That night none of us , I am sure , could sleep . We were smothered in the tents , for lack of oxygen . And we were all more or less under the influence of a strange sort of presentiment , as though our fate were about to change , for better or worse , if indeed it could be worse . The night wore on without any alarm , and at six o'clock in the morning each of us came out to breathe a more wholesome air . The state of things was unchanged , the density of the fog was extraordinary . It was , however , found that the barometer had risen , too quickly , it is true , for the rise to be serious . Presently other signs of change became evident .