nine o'clock
Such was his feeling of gratitude to the lady , that he at once sought out a confectioner 's and sent her many pounds of the candied fruits that have made Venezuela famous , and that , on this occasion , for several days made the Broughton children extremely ill . That night the attack on the barricade to the tunnel was made with a vigor no cement nor rusty iron could resist . Inspired by the thought that on the morrow he would see Inez , and that she herself wished to see him , and anxious to give her a good report of the work of rescue , Roddy toiled like a coal-passer . His energy moved McKildrick and Peter to endeavors equally strenuous , and by nine o'clock the great stone slabs were wedged apart , and on the warm-scented night air and upon the sweating bodies of the men there struck a cold , foul breath that told them one end of the tunnel lay open . Roddy was for at once dashing down the stone steps and exploring the tunnel , but McKildrick held him back . `` You could n't live for a moment , '' he protested , `` and it may be days before we can enter . '' In proof of what he said , he lit one wax match after another , and as he passed each over the mouth of the tunnel Roddy saw the flame sicken and die .