noon
At nine o'clock the company went ashore , carrying with them their tent , costumes and properties -- such as they were . It was a busy night on land , and their strenuous exertions , under the cover of darkness , accomplished wonders under Handy 's guidance . It was next door to daylight when they got back to the ship to take a rest before the arduous work of the eventful day began . Before noon the canvas showhouse on the corner was the principal subject of conversation throughout the town . During the night the strollers had set up their tent , and there was scarcely a house in town in which they had not placed handbills and circulars announcing the coming performance . No matter where an inhabitant wandered one of the `` Humpty Dumpty '' programmes was sure to be found . The people at first glance regarded the announcement with some degree of doubt , but the appearance of the tent , with the flags flying , dispelled that fear .