ten o'clock
All signs of human life had disappeared from the distant banks of the river and the bow of the canoe faced a gray-blue flood emerging from a wilderness of scrubby trees . A few gulls flopped their way coast-ward , and at rare intervals a salmon leaped and slashed the slow-moving surface into a boiling circle ; but for the rest their surroundings were as set , as immobile , as the painted scenery of a stage , save where the current swept the scattered promontories of the shore . But they moved steadily north . So wearied was Bennie with the unaccustomed light and fresh air that by ten o'clock he felt the day must be over , although the sun had not yet reached the zenith . Unexpectedly Marc and Edouard turned the canoe quietly into a shallow , and beached her on a spit of white sand . In three minutes Edouard had a small fire snapping , and handed Bennie a cup of tea . How wonderful it seemed -- a genuine elixir !