two o'clock
Between themselves , in their long talks , the sailors all said the same , in a blunt taken-for-granted way , as a well-known fact ; but it did not stop them from believing in ghosts , having a vague fear of graveyards , and an unlimited confidence in protecting saints and images , and above all a deep respect for the consecrated earth around the churches . So Yann himself feared to be swallowed up by the sea , as if it would annihilate him , and the thought of Sylvestre , so far away on the other side of the earth , made his sorrow more dark and desperate . With his contempt for his fellows , he had no shame or constraint in weeping , no more than if he were alone . Around the boat the chaos grew whiter , although it was only two o'clock , and at the same time it appeared to spread farther , hollowing in a fearful manner . With that kind of rising dawn , eyes opened wider , and the awakened mind could conceive better the immensity of distance , as the boundaries of visible space receded and widened away . The pale aurora increased , seeming to come in tiny jets with slight shocks ; eternal things seemed to light up by sheer transparency , as if white-flamed lamps had slowly been raised up behind the shapeless gray clouds , and held there with mysterious care , for fear of disturbing the calm , even rest of the sea . Below the horizon that colossal white lamp was the sun , which dragged itself along without strength , before taking its leisurely ascent , which began in the dawn 's eye above the ocean .