We seemed to be for hours and hours without end tacking to and fro, now going up the river two or three miles, then dropping down with the tide, and always zig-zagging so as to cover as much ground as possible.

The night lengthened as if it would never end; but, like all tedious times of the kind, it dragged its weary course by, till, to my utter astonishment, when it did come, a faint light dawned away over the sea beyond the mouth of the river, just when we were about a mile below the city.
That pale light gradually broadened, and shed its ghastly chilly beams over the sea, making all look unreal and depressing, and showed the faces of our crew, sitting crouched in the bottom of the boat, silent but quite wide-awake.
Then all started as if suddenly electrified, for Ching uttered a low cry, and stood up, pointing right away east.
"What is it ?" I said.
"Two pilate junk." We all saw them at the same time, and with a miserable feeling of despondency, for there was no hiding the fact.

The river was wide, and while we were close under one bank they had glided silently down under the other, and were far beyond our reach..