about four in the afternoon
It was about four in the afternoon when the sun , veiled in clouds , with subdued light and tempered beams , enabled Don Quixote to relate , without heat or inconvenience , what he had seen in the cave of Montesinos to his two illustrious hearers , and he began as follows : `` A matter of some twelve or fourteen times a man 's height down in this pit , on the right-hand side , there is a recess or space , roomy enough to contain a large cart with its mules . A little light reaches it through some chinks or crevices , communicating with it and open to the surface of the earth . This recess or space I perceived when I was already growing weary and disgusted at finding myself hanging suspended by the rope , travelling downwards into that dark region without any certainty or knowledge of where I was going , so I resolved to enter it and rest myself for a while . I called out , telling you not to let out more rope until I bade you , but you can not have heard me .