three o'clock in the afternoon
There was no room for any leverage , the calf fitted the cavity . The boys clung to their perches in safety , but in perplexity . Hours passed , but the mother rhinoceros showed no inclination to depart . It was three o'clock in the afternoon when she went away to the wallow , returning once or twice to her young before descending the bank , and , even when she had reached the marsh , snorting querulously for some time before settling down to rest . The boys waited until all was quiet in the marsh , and , as a matter of prudence , for some time longer . They wanted to feel assured that the monster was asleep , then , quietly , they slid down the tree trunk and , with noiseless step , stole by the pitfall and toward the hillside . A few yards further on their pace changed to a run , which did not cease until they reached the forest and its refuge , nor , even there , did they linger for any length of time .