six o’clock in the morning
It was a wide extent of marshy land , and they would probably find good sport , for water-birds ought to swarm there . They reckoned that it would be about eight or nine miles to go there , and as much to return , so that the whole of the day would be occupied . As an unknown part of the island was about to be explored , the whole colony took part in the expedition . Accordingly , on the 5th of July , at six o'clock in the morning , when day had scarcely broken , Cyrus Harding , Gideon Spilett , Herbert , Neb , and Pencroft , armed with spears , snares , bows and arrows , and provided with provisions , left Granite House , preceded by Top , who bounded before them . Their shortest way was to cross the Mercy on the ice , which then covered it . `` But , '' as the engineer justly observed , `` that could not take the place of a regular bridge ! '' So , the construction of a regular bridge was noted in the list of future works .