two in the afternoon
It was . Each passing day presented some new and attractive feature along the banks of the great river ; and under other conditions Maurice would have been delighted to go ashore and witness the operation of grinding sugarcane , or baling cotton where the cotton gin worked . But these things would have to keep until another occasion , for destiny now beckoned to the two lads , and they felt that their fortunes were wrapped up in this anticipated meeting with the old sailor . On the twelfth of February , at two in the afternoon , they arrived at the upper stretch of the river metropolis , and from that time on they kept fully on the alert so as to avoid a collision with some passing boat . At the same time they were also looking for a certain boatyard , to which they had been recommended by Mr. Buckley , who knew the proprietor well , and for whom a letter was reposing in the pocket of Maurice 's coat . Luckily this boatyard was near the upper part of the city , so that they did not have to pass along the entire water front , in constant danger of a spill from the many vessels moving about , great tows of coal barges such as they had seen on the river many times , ocean steamers , ferry boats , sailboats and numerous other river craft propelled by steam , gasoline or sails . The proprietor of the boatyard looked at them a bit suspiciously as they drew the ungainly craft that had served them as a home during the long cruise , into his `` pocket ; '' but upon reading the letter Maurice presented his face changed in its expression and he shook hands with both lads heartily .