five minutes to ten
It was a circuitous road that led to the dam . The rain was pouring again , the streets deserted . Once they were held up at a railroad crossing ... . The clock in the car pointed at five minutes to ten when their headlights finally fell upon the bridge . As they drew nearer they could hear nothing in the darkness but the thunder of the water . The bridge was a low one and only twenty yards up the stream from the falls ; but though they strained their eyes to the uttermost they could n't see as far as the dam . `` I 'll turn one of the headlights , '' said Archey , `` and we 'll drive over slow . ''