about one in the morning
One lad was told to lurk in a thicket below the slope of the hill and invisible from the house . `` If Wild Bill 's men come on , and you give them the slip , cry thrice like the ` Bob White , ' '' said Moore ; `` if they take you , cry once . If you get off , run straight to Clayville , and give this note to the officer commanding the cavalry . '' The hour was now about one in the morning ; by three the dawn would begin . In spite of his fatigues , Moore had no idea of snatching an hour 's rest . He called up Peter -LRB- who had been sleeping , coiled up like a black cat , in the smoking-room -RRB- , and bade him take a bath and hot water into the room where Gumbo , the newly purchased black , had all this time been left to his own reflections . `` Soap him and lather him well , Peter , '' said Moore ; `` wash him white , if you can , and let me know when he 's fit to come near . ''