Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Chapter 2 Page 76

You can't hit anything unless you take aim and fire from the shoulder; but these chaps fired from the hip with their eyes shut. The retreat, I maintained — and I was right — was caused by the screeching of the steam whistle.

Upon this they forgot Kurtz, and began to howl at me with indignant protests.

“The manager stood by the wheel murmuring confidentially about the necessity of getting well away down the river before dark at all events, when I saw in the distance a clearing on the riverside and the outlines of some sort of building. 'What's this?” I asked. He clapped his hands in wonder. 'The station!” he cried. I edged in at once, still going half-speed.

“Through my glasses I saw the slope of a hill interspersed