noon
He wondered how far out they were , and how far down . Lord , there 'd be a riot when he showed up ! He wanted to wait till they were far enough on their way so it would be too much trouble to turn around and put him ashore . But by noon his powers of endurance were exhausted . Flinging open the door , he stepped out into the corridor , followed it to a companionway and mounted the ladder to the deck above . There he was assailed by a familiar and welcome odor -- food ! Trailing it to its origin , he came to a pair of swinging doors at the end of a cork-paved passage .