early morning, about five o'clock
When the sun began to peep , we turned off the highway in order to avoid Bridport , which we passed a little after dawn . A few miles further on we felt that we could turn into the road again as we were safe from the militia at that distance . Then , feeling happy at the thought of the coming contest , which , we felt sure , would be won by our side , we pressed our tired nags over the brook towards the steep hill which separates Charmouth from Lyme . It was early morning , about five o'clock , when we came to Charmouth ; but the little town was as busy as though it were noon on fair-day . The street was crowded . People were coming in from all the countryside . A man was haranguing the crowd from a horseless waggon drawn up at an inn .