nine o'clock
It was about nine o'clock when the fugitives made sail , off the mouth of the Kalamazoo ; and , at the return of light , seven hours later , they were more than forty miles from the place of starting . The wind still stood , with symptoms of growing fresher again as the sun rose , and the land could just be seen in the eastern board , the coast in that direction having made a considerable curvature inland . This had brought the canoes farther from the land than le Bourdon wished to be , but he could not materially change his course without taking in one of his sails . As much variation was made , however , as was prudent , and by nine o'clock , or twelve hours after entering the lake , the canoes again drew near to the shore , which met them ahead . By the bee hunter 's calculations , they were now about seventy miles from the mouth of the Kalamazoo , having passed the outlets of two or three of the largest streams of those regions . The fugitives selected a favorable spot , and landed behind a headland that gave them a sufficient lee for the canoes . They had now reached a point where the coast trends a little to the eastward , which brought the wind in a slight degree off the land .