about midnight
`` St. Nazaire ; a French town at the mouth of the river Loire , '' was the reply . It was now quite dark , and a haze prevented the occupants of the boat from making any observation of the stars , hence the sailing , or rather , the rowing , had to be conducted by compass entirely , the order being given by the captain to steer east by north , a term which indicates that the course was exactly two points north of a line running due east and west . Three miles an hour at the outside , would be considered good speed . Sails would have been useless without a wind , and there was not the slightest breeze , but about midnight there was an apparent rocking in the little boat that indicated a wind . Occasionally , there would be a jerk , as the boat would be thrown from one side to the other . The captain was awake and alert , but the boys were lying in the bottom of the vessel near the stern . It was a trying , weary night , and when the sun arose the sea was one panorama of short , choppy waves .