About
eleven in the morning
He would risk everything to be able to go once more into a tavern in his own country . '' Certainly the monotony on board must seem intolerable to the Canadian , accustomed as he was to a life of liberty and activity . Events were rare which could rouse him to any show of spirit ; but that day an event did happen which recalled the bright days of the harpooner . About eleven in the morning , being on the surface of the ocean , the Nautilus fell in with a troop of whales -- an encounter which did not astonish me , knowing that these creatures , hunted to death , had taken refuge in high latitudes . We were seated on the platform , with a quiet sea . The month of October in those latitudes gave us some lovely autumnal days . It was the Canadian -- he could not be mistaken -- who signalled a whale on the eastern horizon .