six in the morning
He was an Englishman , a cripple ; twice he had been rescued after vessels on which he sailed were sent to the bottom by German submarines . His credentials were flawless . He was on duty during the night just past , and had picked up several indistinct , incomplete radio messages . There was nothing wrong with the receiving or transmitting apparatus when he went off duty at six in the morning , and as his superior came on at the same hour , -- they exchanged greetings at the door of the wireless house , -- it was absolutely impossible for any one to have entered the well-guarded room without attracting attention . Cruise , the chief radio-man , had his assistant routed out of bed and together they worked like beavers over the disabled mechanism . Hour after hour , the nervous , uneasy passengers paced the decks . Few remained indoors , and few possessed the calmness to loll in deck-chairs .