about 7 a.m. on the 2nd of December
At sea , ships , rocked by the waves , are in perpetual movement . In the air , balloons incessantly oscillate upon the fluid strata of different densities . This projectile alone , travelling in absolute void amidst absolute silence , offered absolute repose to its inhabitants . The sleep of the three adventurers would have , perhaps , been indefinitely prolonged if an unexpected noise had not awakened them about 7 a.m. on the 2nd of December , eight hours after their departure . This noise was a very distinct bark . `` The dogs ! It is the dogs ! ''