five o'clock
Oh , well pulled indeed our boat ! '' The schoolhouse boat had slackened speed , and paddling gently alongside , was taking careful note of these audacious youngsters , who , puffing and plunging along , fully believed they were beating the picked four of the rival house by their own prowess . The big boys seemed amused on the whole , and good-humouredly kept up the semblance of a race for about half a mile , taking care to give the challenging crew a wide berth . At last , after about ten minutes had been spent in this way , and when the young champions were all , except Parson , fairly exhausted , Crossfield took out his watch and said to his crew , winking as he did so , `` Time we turned , you fellows ; it 's five o'clock . Easy all , pull bow side ! back water , stroke ! '' And so saying , the schoolhouse boat suddenly turned round and started off at a smart pace down stream , where it was soon out of reach of the parting taunts and opprobrious noises which Parson , for the credit of his house , continued to hurl at its crew till they were beyond earshot .