four o'clock
The word to be on the watch and ready was therefore passed round immediately after the mid-day halt ; and it was astonishing to see how the news brightened up the weary men and made new beings of them . Indeed , Jim almost felt sorry that he had not delayed the message until the evening , for he felt alarmed lest the guards should observe the change and guess at its cause . They seemed , however , to take no notice of it , and the forlorn procession moved forward slowly along the great , dusty road , which had not been repaired since the time of Pizarro 's conquest . Hour after hour went by and there was still no sign of the City of the Sun ; so that , by the time that four o'clock arrived , Douglas decided that the escape would have to be attempted that very night . Just before dusk the clouds , which had been covering the heavens all day long , broke ; the glorious setting sun shone out in all his majesty ; and there before them in the distance , some fifteen miles away , his beams fell on the city of Cuzco , gilding and glorifying it until it actually did present the appearance of a city of gold . It was a magnificent sight , and drew an exclamation of admiration and delight from the Chilians , weary as they all were ; but they hoped that the view which they had just obtained of the place was all that they would ever see of it -- as it would be , if fortune would but favour them that night . It was now perfectly evident that they would not be able to reach Cuzco that evening , and as the darkness was fast coming on the Peruvians began to look about them for a suitable place in which to camp for the night .