eleven o'clock
Courtenay advised them , by all means , to seem to accede to the proposition , and gave them instructions as to how they were to act . He then despatched notes to some twenty neighbours , requesting them to come to the plantation , and bring their whips with them , as they would be required . Meyer having repaired his boats , came to return thanks , and to announce his departure early on the following morning . At eleven o'clock , when he thought everybody in the house was asleep , he hastened , with two of his sons , to a lane , where he had made an appointment with the negroes to meet him and accompany him to his boat , which was ready to start . He found half-a-dozen of the negroes , and , advising them not to speak before they were fairly off the plantation , desired them to follow him to the boat ; but , to his astonishment , he soon discovered that the lane was occupied with other negroes and white men , armed with the much-dreaded cow-hides . He called out to his two sons to fly , but it was too late . The general and his two sons were undoubtedly accustomed to such disasters , for they showed amazing dexterity in taking advantage of the angles of the fences , to evade the lashes : but , in spite of all their devices , they were cruelly punished , as they had nearly a quarter of a mile of gauntlet to run through before they were clear of the lane .