three o'clock
For several succeeding days the canoe , still concealed by its covering , floated on the silvery surface of this new-found stream . On either side the banks became less arid , and there seemed everything to encourage the few survivors of the `` Pilgrim '' to believe that they would soon see the last of the perils and toils of their journey . They were too sanguine . Towards three o'clock on the morning of the 18th , Dick , who was at his usual post at the bow , fancied he heard a dull rumbling towards the west . Mrs. Weldon , Jack , and Benedict were all asleep . Calling Hercules to him , he asked him whether he could not hear a strange noise . The night was perfectly calm , and not a breath of air was stirring .