Eight o'clock
I can get there as quickly , and do more good , by going round outside and down the slope . Come , let us run . '' In a few minutes they had reached the bottom of the break , climbed the rickety ladder , and once more they stood in safety beneath the starlit sky of the outer world . `` Eight o'clock , '' said Mr. Jones , looking at his watch . `` We 've been in there three hours , Derrick , and seen some pretty lively times . What I ca n't understand , though , is how we got in on that lower level . Never mind now ; we must run , for I 'm anxious about that explosion . ''