three in the afternoon
At the end of three hours we were still plodding . This was not only mysterious , but exasperating . And very fatiguing , too ; for we had tried hard , along at first , to catch up with the guide , but had only fagged ourselves , in vain ; for although he was traveling slowly he was yet able to go faster than the hampered caravan over such ground . At three in the afternoon we were nearly dead with exhaustion -- and still the rope was slowly gliding out . The murmurs against the guide had been growing steadily , and at last they were become loud and savage . A mutiny ensued . The men refused to proceed .