seven o'clock in the evening
`` Oh , it wo n't be so bad when we get there , '' he said ; `` they say these Southern people are always hospitable , and the whites will be glad to see any one from the States . '' `` There will be a round of diplomatic dinners , '' said the consul , with an attempt at cheerfulness . `` I have brought two uniforms to wear at them . '' It was seven o'clock in the evening when the rain ceased , and one of the black , half-naked fishermen nodded and pointed at a little low line on the horizon . `` Opeki , '' he said . The line grew in length until it proved to be an island with great mountains rising to the clouds , and as they drew nearer and nearer , showed a level coast running back to the foot of the mountains and covered with a forest of palms . They next made out a village of thatched huts around a grassy square , and at some distance from the village a wooden structure with a tin roof .