Twelve o'clock
I 'll get a warrant . You tell Lieutenant Balwin -- and somebody give me a fresh horse . '' A short while later , as Cutler , with the warrant in his pocket , rode out of Fort Laramie , the call of the sentinels came across the night : `` Number One . Twelve o'clock , and all 's well . '' A moment , and the refrain sounded more distant , given by Number Two . When the fourth took it up , far away along the line , the words were lost , leaving something like the faint echo of a song . The half-breed had crossed the Platte , as if he were making for his kindred tribe , but the scout did not believe in this too plain trail .