about nine o'clock in the
morning
He felt himself again lifted ; and then he dropped into a void . It was no great fall and was softened by the dense layer of captives already swarming at the bottom of the hold , who began to swear behind their gags . Using his knees and elbows , Simon made room for himself as best he could on the floor . It must have been about nine o'clock in the morning . From that moment , time no longer counted for him , for he thought of nothing but how to defend the place which he had won against any who might seek to take it from him , whether former occupants or new-comers . Voices muffled by gags uttered furious snarls , or groaned , breathless and exhausted . It was really hell .