nearly five o'clock before
He started off after that on a hard run for Bath Bay , where he jumped into a boat , and , pulling out into the greater bay , rowed with all his strength over to the village ; but his inquiries there could gain no information , so he hired a small schooner-rigged boat and its owner to go out with him and hunt us up , or find some trace of our fate . Mr Clare could not be still whilst the boatman , who had to go up to his home first , was getting ready , but ordered him to make all haste and call for him off the cape , and then he jumped into his own boat again and recrossed to the cape . But the boatman took a long time in coming , Mr Clare walking up and down the cape in the meanwhile , a prey to the gloomiest apprehensions . It was nearly five o'clock before Mr Clare saw his boat drawing near . At the same moment he heard a scampering through the short , dry grass behind him , and the wheezing of some animal breathing thick and quick . Turning , he saw , greatly to his surprise , Ugly coming towards him as fast as he could run . Poor little Ugly was dripping with water , and completely blown and tired out -- so tired that , when he had reached Mr Clare 's feet , he could only lie down there and pant .