eleven o'clock
The world will not lend its support to a man or a cause that admits its hopelessness . A forlorn hope , however forlorn , has never wanted volunteers . Fortunately Trueman has made a confidant of a woman unselfishly and devotedly his friend , and who has the good sense to realize that his untrammeled utterances to her are for her alone . It is eleven o'clock when Trueman reaches his party 's headquarters . He finds his supporters working with the feverish energy that attaches to a desperate situation . The soldiers of a beleaguered fortress man the guns with a disregard to fatigue and danger that is inspiring ; the men at the pumps , when the word goes forth that the ship is sinking , work with a frenzy that defies nature ; so it is with the leaders of the Independence party . They are fighting against appalling odds , yet they do not stop to question the result .