It is now half past three in the afternoon.

Eight hours and a half are sufficient to take us to our journey's end.

Why should we not arrive there ?" "How about being ahead of time ?" asked the Captain.
"Just so!" said Ardan.

"You know we have discovered the initial velocity to have been greater than was expected." "Not at all! not at all!" cried Barbican "A slight excess of velocity would have done no harm whatever had the direction of the Projectile been perfectly true.No.There must have been a digression.

We must have been switched off!" "Switched off?
By what ?" asked both his listeners in one breath.
"I can't tell," said Barbican curtly.
"Well!" said Ardan; "if Barbican can't tell, there is an end to all further talk on the subject.