about midnight
He could not afford time to return to the Euphrates : he would now have to follow the course of the Tigris until it joined the larger river . It would be folly to attempt a direct flight to Karachi , for in so doing he would have to pass over the mountainous districts of Southern Persia and Baluchistan , where , if any mishap befel the aeroplane , there would be absolutely no chance of finding assistance . Luckily the moon was rising , and by its light he was soon able to strike the Tigris near the spot where it flowed between the hills Gebel Hamrin and Gebel Mekhul into the Babylonian plain . From this point , keeping the hills well on his left , he steered south-east until about midnight he came upon an immense expanse of water , shimmering below him in the moonlight , which he concluded to be nothing else but the Persian Gulf . By this time he was both tired and hungry . Rodier and he had eaten a few biscuits spread with Bovril , and drunk soda-water , while they were examining the engine , but they both felt ravenous for a good square meal . Smith , however , had set his heart on completing his flight to Karachi , where his scheme would allow an hour or two for rest and food , and he was the more determined to carry out his programme , if possible , because of the delay caused by the storm .