midnight
It may have been a coyote , or perhaps a timber wolf ; for though the antelope had departed south , the settlers said that both from the bush of the Saskatchewan and beyond the Cypress hills the lean and grizzled beasts had come down into the prairie . Nevertheless , their noiseless passage harmonized with the surroundings ; and at last I grew thankful for a slight drowsiness which blunted the imagination . But there were other riders out on the waste that night , and , with one hand on the slung rifle , I reined in the horse as three white-sprinkled figures came up at a gallop . Generally , as far as anything human is concerned , the prairie is as safe at midnight , if not safer , than a street in London town ; but because game is plentiful there is generally a gun in the wagon , and when the settlers ride out they often carry a rifle at their back . `` Halt ! '' cried a voice I recognized ; and there was a jingle of steel as two skin-wrapped troopers of the Northwest Police wheeled their horses on either side of me , while another , who spoke with authority , grasped my bridle . Even in that darkness I could see the ready carbines , and , knowing what manner of men these riders were , I was glad I could meet them peaceably .