midnight
The presence in Tangier of the King of Messina and his suite , and the arrival there of the French noblemen who had volunteered for the expedition , could not escape the observation of the resident Consuls-General and of the foreign colony , and dinners , riding and hunting parties , pig-sticking , and excursions on horseback into the outlying country were planned for their honor and daily entertainment . Had the conspirators held aloof from these , the residents might have asked , since it was not to enjoy themselves , what was the purpose of their stay in Tangier ; and so , to allay suspicion as to their real object , different members of the expedition had been assigned from time to time to represent the visitors at these festivities . On the morning following the return of the yacht from Messina , an invitation to ride to a farmhouse some miles out of Tangier and to breakfast there had been sent to the visitors , and the King had directed the Prince Kalonay , and half of the delegation from Paris , to accept it in his name . They were well content to go , and rode forth gayly and in high spirits , for the word had been brought them early in the morning that the expedition was already prepared to move , and that same evening at midnight the yacht would set sail for Messina . They were careless as to what fortune waited for them there . The promise of much excitement , of fighting and of danger , of possible honor and success , stirred the hearts of the young men gloriously , and as they galloped across the plains , or raced each other from point to point , or halted to jump their ponies across the many gaping crevices which the sun had split in the surface of the plain , they filled the still , warm air with their shouts and laughter . In the party there were many ladies , and the groups changed and formed again as they rode forward , spread out on either side of the caravan-trail and covering the plain like a skirmish line of cavalry .