nine o’clock
Meet me in an hour on the river-bank . '' The preparations took long in the making . It was difficult to find the material for a fifty-foot ladder that would reach the first ledge of the cliff ; and it required an endless effort and care to join the different sections . At last , a little after nine o'clock , it was set up in the middle of the river and held in position by a boat , the bows of which were wedged between two of the rungs , while the stern was rammed into the bank . The road through the river-valley was little used , and nobody came to interrupt the work . The night was dark , the sky heavy with moveless clouds . Lupin gave the Masher and the Growler their final instructions and said , with a laugh : `` I ca n't tell you how amused I am at the thought of seeing Daubrecq 's face when they proceed to take his scalp or slice his skin into ribbons .