night about eight
o'clock
Curious figures , dim and indistinct , seemed to move and dance up and down , and thread their way through the curtain of mist , like phantoms in winding sheets . They were but delusions , betraying the eye . But there is a reality now ; a steamer is seen cutting her way through the deep gloom , and throwing a long trail of light high up over the grey mist and reflecting curiously in the heavens . Two stalworth men were seen walking down the road that night about eight o'clock , dressed in a style common to boatmen . One carried a pair of oars over his shoulder ; the other had a well-filled haversack slung across his , and a crowbar in his right hand . They halted on reaching Bright 's inn , and having stacked the oars and the bar against the little porch , entered , and were greeted by a number of friends already refreshing themselves at the counter . The appearance of these men -- for they were known to be the best boatmen on the Tappan Zee -- greatly surprised Bright and the gossips who were enjoying his ale around a little table .