nine o'clock
It was well for the boys that they were housed in the hermit 's dwelling , for that night a terrible thunder storm came up . The wind howled and shrieked around the mountain top , and continued until dawn . `` If we had been on the plateau we would have been blown off into the lake , '' said Harry , at breakfast . By nine o'clock it cleared off and at twelve the mountain was as dry as ever . They packed up , and , accompanied by the hermit , set off , for the old camp . Daniel Brown knew every inch of the mountain and under his guidance they reached the bottom much quicker than they would otherwise have done . As they were trailing through the woods toward the camp , Harry suddenly put up his hand .