nine o'clock
He found no opportunity to make his intended demonstration . His only hope now was that Mr. Gilfleur , who must have been in the vicinity of the hotel , had witnessed the outrage , and would interfere , as he had done on Bay Street , and save him from the fate that was in store for him . In a rather lonely place Christy discovered the outline in the darkness of what looked like a fort . At the same moment he heard the distant stroke of some public clock , striking nine o'clock . This was the time appointed for the meeting with the detective , and he had been at the place a quarter of an hour before , which fully explained why the detective had not been there ; and probably he had been in his room . This conclusion seemed to cut off all hope that he had witnessed the attack upon him . The carriage stopped at the beach below the fort .