about two in the morning
At four P.m. I proceeded up the river , which is here about a hundred yards across , and very deep ; it rolls sluggishly along through a low swampy country , covered to the water 's edge with thick sedges and underwood , below which the water stagnates , and generates myriads of musquittoes , and other troublesome insects , and sends up whole clouds of noxious vapours , redolent of yellow fever , and ague , and cramps , and all manner of comfortable things . At ten P.M. we anchored by a grapnel in the stream , and I set Peter Mangrove forthwith to officiate in his new capacity of cook , and really he made a deuced good one . I then slung my hammock under the toldo , and lighting a slow match , at the end of it forwards , to smoke away the musquittoes , having previously covered the aftermost end with a mat , I wrapped myself in my cloak , and turned in to take my snooze . We weighed again about two in the morning . As the day dawned the dull grey steamy clouds settled down on us once more , while the rain fell in a regular waterspout . It was anything but a cheering prospect to look along the dreary vistas of the dull brimful Lethe-like stream , with nothing to be seen but the heavy lowering sky above , the red swollen water beneath , and the gigantic trees high towering overhead , and growing close to the water 's edge , laced together with black snake-like withes , while the jungle was thick and impervious , and actually grew down into the water , for beach , or shore , or cleared bank , there was none , -- all water and underwood , except where a heavy soft slimy steaming black bank of mud hove its shining back from out the dead waters near the shore , with one or more monstrous alligators sleeping on it , like dirty rotten logs of wood , scarcely deigning to lift their abominable long snouts to look at us as we passed , or to raise their long scaly tails , with the black mud sticking to the scales in great lumps -- oh -- horrible -- most horrible ! But the creatures , although no beauties certainly , are harmless after all .