noon
Instinct was the hand that aimed me ; the _ Enchantress Isis _ was the target ; and deck cabin No. 36 was the bull 's - eye . As I expected , Bailey was in his stateroom . I had not far to go ; only to hurry from the engineer 's house , along the riverbank to the landing place , where a number of native boats were lying ; jump into one , and row out a few yards . But the heat of noon , after the cool shade of the veranda , was terrific . I arrived out of breath , my brow richly embroidered with crystal beads , just in time to find Bailey squeezing his bath sponge preparatory to packing it , in a yawning kitbag already full . At such a moment he could squeeze a sponge ! I hated him for this , as though the sponge had been Rachel 's heart .