five
o'clock
Half a dozen of their number set out , then early in the afternoon , to seek and succor Sir George and his guides . The persons remaining at the cabin saw these disappear , and then ensued another distressing wait . Four hours passed , without tidings . Then at five o'clock another relief , consisting of three guides , set forward from the cabin . They carried food and cordials for the refreshment of their predecessors ; they took lanterns with them , too ; night was coming on , and to make matters worse , a fine , cold rain had begun to fall . At the same hour that these three began their dangerous ascent , the official Guide-in-Chief of the Mont Blanc region undertook the dangerous descent to Chamonix , all alone , to get reinforcements . However , a couple of hours later , at 7 P.M. , the anxious solicitude came to an end , and happily .