eight o'clock in the morning
`` It is impossible to foretell anything . '' Jack re-entered the room at this moment , and the three held a consultation , Edwards meantime steering the course that Lord Hastings had given him . And so the submarine continued on its course beneath the sea for the rest of the night , running slowly . At eight o'clock in the morning , Lord Hastings decided to go to the surface for a look around . He stopped for a moment , however , just below the surface , with the periscope protruding slightly above the water and took in his surroundings . In the distance he made out a coast line , which , according to his calculations , should be the coast of Belgium . `` We should not be more than an hour 's run from Ostend , '' he told the lads .