one o'clock
The two great sails were hoisted , and under the pressure of the wind the sledge slid over the hardened snow with a velocity of forty miles an hour . The distance between Fort Kearney and Omaha , as the birds fly , is at most two hundred miles . If the wind held good , the distance might be covered in five hours . If no accident happened the sledge might reach Omaha by one o'clock . What a journey ! The travelers , huddled close together , could not speak for the cold , intensified by the rapidity at which they were going . The sledge sped on as lightly as a boat over the waves .