nearly ten o'clock at night
But he was accessory after the act in that piece of illegality -- in fact , it was absolutely certain that he had been accessory before the act , and guilty of conspiracy with the man who had presented firearms to the auctioneer 's audience , and who had interfered with an officer in the discharge of his duty by threatening me and my men . So I was now legally in the right if I arrested every person on board that steam launch . * * * * * With a map of the river before me I proceeded to make some calculations . It was now nearly ten o'clock at night . The launch had had six hours in which to travel at its utmost speed . It was doubtful if so small a vessel could make ten miles an hour , even with the current in its favour , which is rather sluggish because of the locks and the level country . Sixty miles would place her beyond Meulan , which is fifty-eight miles from the Pont Royal , and , of course , a lesser distance from the Pont de Neuilly .