8 o'clock in the morning
All night the Lena forged ahead at full speed through the fog , which hung thick and dismal overhead and all about ; and all this time the boys did not leave the bridge . The men were allowed to rest at their posts , but were kept on the alert , for , as Jack said , `` we must be prepared for anything . '' Jack looked at his watch . It was 8 o'clock in the morning ; and , even as he glanced at his timepiece , the fog lifted as suddenly as it had enveloped them . `` This is better -- '' Frank began , and broke off with a cry of amazement . Not a hundred yards to the leeward his eyes fell upon the dark hull of the German cruiser which had pursued them the night before . Evidently the commander of the vessel had anticipated the course of the Lena and had taken the same route .