A quarter
to twelve
Houses appeared here and there upon the banks , and now and then a horseman watched them from the shore , but they could not pause . Bindon -- Bindon -- Bindon -- the Snowdrop Mine at Bindon , and a death-dealing machine timed to do its deadly work , were before the eyes of the two voyageurs . Half-past eleven , and the town of Bindon was just beyond them . A quarter to twelve , and they had run their canoe into the bank beyond which were the smokestacks and chimneys of the mine . Bindon was peacefully pursuing its way , though here and there were little groups of strikers who had not resumed work . Dingley and the girl scrambled up the bank . Trembling with fatigue , they hastened on .