three o'clock in the morning
`` It 's rather strange , '' spoke the professor . `` Every time , or nearly every time the ghost , as I suppose we must call it for the present , makes its appearance , something terrible happens to the ship . I hope it does n't show up too often . '' It was three o'clock in the morning , and they had battled with the whirlpool over two hours . They talked of little else , and each one told how he or she felt . `` It was just like twisting yourself up tight in the swing , and then letting the rope unwind , '' said Nellie , and they all agreed that she had described the sensation perfectly . They laughed , also , a thing they had felt little like doing a short time previous .