About three o'clock
he said , deliberately . It was no mere profanity . It was an imprecation , and in its very deliberation I glimpsed the flare of an undying hate . About three o'clock that afternoon Jimmy 's prediction was fulfilled . Without the slightest warning the jam `` pulled . '' Usually certain premonitory _ cracks _ , certain sinkings down , groanings forward , grumblings , shruggings , and sullen , reluctant shiftings of the logs give opportunity for the men to assure their safety . This jam , after inexplicably hanging fire for a week , as inexplicably started like a sprinter almost into its full gait .