four o'clock in the afternoon on September 23
I must be on the lookout for it . I rise before the sun and saunter down to the lagoon . Not a single object is floating on its calm surface . The work on the tunnel through the side of the cavern goes on , and at four o'clock in the afternoon on September 23 , Engineer Serko blows away the last rock obstructing the issue , and communication with the outer world is established . It is only a very narrow hole , and one has to stoop to go through it . The exterior orifice is lost among the crannies of the rocky coast , and it would be easy to obstruct it , if such a measure became necessary . It goes without saying that the passage will be strictly guarded .