Twelve o'clock
Alarmed and horrified , they beat a precipitate retreat , swimming and rowing back to the shore . In half an hour the beach was deserted , and all flew away from the sea fiend whose nature they could not understand . `` They take us for the Old Nick , '' said Mont. . `` Twelve o'clock , '' exclaimed the captain , who was always as punctual as fate ; `` I said we should sail at twelve . '' At this moment the engines began to revolve , and the _ Searcher _ skimmed over the surface of the sea like a bird . The air was soon taken into the reservoirs , the flap or panel was closed , and sinking into the bosom of the waves , she glided along , moved by her powerful screw , like a big fish ; only the helmsman , sitting in his solitary place of lookout , being responsible for her management . They traversed the ocean at a depth of about a hundred yards from the surface .