five o'clock
`` Leon , I wish you would find a few sticks , and try to make a fire . It would be cheerful , although it might not give much warmth . '' It was dark now . It was five o'clock when the 3rd division threw itself across Maucune 's line of march , and the battle had begun . It was dark long before it ended but , during the three hours it had lasted , the French had lost a marshal , seven generals , and 12,500 men and officers , killed , wounded , or prisoners ; while on the British side a field marshal , four generals , and nearly 6000 officers and soldiers were killed or wounded . Indeed , the battle itself was concentrated into an hour 's hard fighting ; and a French officer , describing it , said that 40,000 men were defeated in forty minutes . Presently the din of battle died out and , as soon as it did so , Herrara and Ryan both hurried to the side of Terence .