five o’clock in
the morning
This circumstance gave the doctor some hope , since it recalled to his mind the conjectures of geographers concerning the existence of a vast stretch of water in the centre of Africa . But , if such a lake really existed , the point was to reach it , and not a sign of change was visible in the motionless sky . To the tranquil night and its starry magnificence succeeded the unchanging daylight and the blazing rays of the sun ; and , from the earliest dawn , the temperature became scorching . At five o'clock in the morning , the doctor gave the signal for departure , and , for a considerable time , the balloon remained immovable in the leaden atmosphere . The doctor might have escaped this intense heat by rising into a higher range , but , in order to do so , he would have had to consume a large quantity of water , a thing that had now become impossible . He contented himself , therefore , with keeping the balloon at one hundred feet from the ground , and , at that elevation , a feeble current drove it toward the western horizon . The breakfast consisted of a little dried meat and pemmican .