afternoon, about three o'clock
Meanwhile , there goes the luncheon-bell . After lunch we might give the ` palace ' an overhaul , and see what we can find of interest there . '' So it was arranged , and Lobelalatutu then received his dismissal . In accordance with Sir Reginald 's suggestion , he , the professor , Lethbridge , and Colonel Sziszkinski quietly left the ship that same afternoon , about three o'clock , to institute a search in the palace for any relics of the shipwrecked party that M'Bongwele might have preserved . Mildmay very willingly agreed to remain on board the ship to keep the ladies company , and see , generally , that nothing went amiss with them . But before they left the ship , von Schalckenberg handed to each of the party a small box , about half the size of this book . `` Our experiences in the forest , the other day , when we were lost there , '' said he , `` suggested to me the importance of providing some means of communicating with the ship -- and with each other , if need be -- under similar circumstances , and the outcome of my cogitations upon the subject is these little boxes , which are all precisely alike . ''