about two o'clock in the afternoon
Every climate and country too , have their own evils and inconveniences . '' `` You think , then , '' said I , `` that the native of Kamtschatka has the advantage ? '' `` No , '' he rejoined , `` I do not mean to say that , for the evils of his situation are likewise very great ; but they are more manifest , and therefore less necessary to be brought to your notice . '' It was now , by our time-pieces , about two o'clock in the afternoon -- that is , two hours had elapsed since we left terra firma ; and , saving a few biscuits and a glass of cordial a-piece , we had not taken any sort of refreshment . The Brahmin proposed that we now should dine ; and , opening a small case , and drawing forth a cold fowl , a piece of dried goat 's flesh , a small pot of ghee , some biscuits , and a bottle of arrack flavoured with ginger and spices , with a larger one of water , we ate as heartily as we had ever done at the hermitage ; the slight motion of our machine to one side or the other , whenever we moved , giving us nearly as much exercise as a vessel in a smooth sea . The animal food had been provided for me , for the Brahmin satisfied his hunger with the ghee , sweetmeats , and biscuit , and ate sparingly even of them . We each took two glasses of the cordial diluted with water , and carefully putting back the fragments , again turned our thoughts to the planet we had left .