one o'clock in the afternoon
I hope we stay on the trail until we run down our quarry . '' Not long after this the entire party was on the steam launch once more . They took with them provisions enough to last a couple of days and also an extra cask of drinking water . By one o'clock in the afternoon the sun burst through the mist and an hour later the entire river was clear , so that they could see steamboats and sailboats a long distance off . The captain of the tug brought forth his spyglass and they took turns in looking through the instrument . `` Nothing like a houseboat in sight , '' said Sam , disconsolately . `` It beats the nation where they have gone to . ''