four o'clock
It turned out to be a suncracked water-course with a little muddy water lying in hollows , and one or two deeper holes from which the manganese miners got their water . She had been hoping for a swim : she had to be content with dipping a handkerchief in one of the hollows and wiping her face with it , since all the rest was needed for drinking . `` Next time yous come along we 'll have had a drop o ' rain , an ' then you can drownd yourselfs if you want to , '' said the stationmaster . They started out at four o'clock with the information that Gaynor 's Station was a collection of weather-board huts , a homestead put together by five lads from England who were trying to make a fortune each . They had not yet made a living between them . Loose End was owned by an elderly squatter with many children . Five big gums , which could be seen for miles , stood sentinel over the homestead on a rising knoll of ground .