nearly eleven o'clock
interrupted Shep . `` We 've got a long and hard climb before us . '' What the doctor 's son said about the climb was true -- the way was a steady pull upward , and they had frequently to stop to get their breath . It was nearly eleven o'clock when they reached the top of the hill . They had been on the upgrade for three hours . `` Let us rest until after dinner , '' said Snap . `` No use killing ourselves . ''