seven o’clock in
the morning
It is perhaps shorter than the other , but this advantage is much diminished by the absence of post-houses , the bad roads , and lack of villages . Michael Strogoff was right in the choice he had made , and if , as appeared probable , the gipsies should follow the second route from Kasan to Ishim , he had every chance of arriving before them . An hour afterwards the bell rang on board the Caucasus , calling the new passengers , and recalling the former ones . It was now seven o'clock in the morning . The requisite fuel had been received on board . The whole vessel began to vibrate from the effects of the steam . She was ready to start .