two in the afternoon
They wished to get this duty out of the way , for by the signs it was believed that they must be approaching Cairo , and as the junction of the two rivers is a turbulent place , with considerable craft moving about , the boys considered it wise to have their full attention fixed upon their movements . After all , it was a mere nothing -- they simply turned a point and found themselves upon a much wider stretch of water -- and this was the famous Mississippi ! Now they were really heading south , and no matter how much colder the weather grew , it could not freeze them in and stop their flight to the desired port . Just as Maurice had figured , it was two in the afternoon when they could really and truly say they were afloat on the big river . In about a couple of hours they began to cast their eyes along the shore seeking a favorable place to tie up for the coming night -- the mere thought of being adrift upon that immense yellow flood after sunset was appalling to them , though possibly by degrees they might become so accustomed to the rolling tide that it would cease to have the same sensation of alarm for them . It was almost dark before they discovered a convenient tree close enough to the water 's edge to serve their purpose ; for evidently the river during its periodical seasons of flood had torn nearly all growth on the lower banks away . Thad climbed up to this friendly trunk and slipped the cable around its base .