eight o’clock in the evening
IT was fortunate that Michael Strogoff had left the posting-house so promptly . The orders of Ivan Ogareff had been immediately transmitted to all the approaches of the city , and a full description of Michael sent to all the various commandants , in order to prevent his departure from Omsk . But he had already passed through one of the breaches in the wall ; his horse was galloping over the steppe , and the chances of escape were in his favor . It was on the 29th of July , at eight o'clock in the evening , that Michael Strogoff had left Omsk . This town is situated about halfway between Moscow and Irkutsk , where it was necessary that he should arrive within ten days if he wished to get ahead of the Tartar columns . It was evident that the unlucky chance which had brought him into the presence of his mother had betrayed his incognito . Ivan Ogareff was no longer ignorant of the fact that a courier of the Czar had just passed Omsk , taking the direction of Irkutsk .