midnight
The pork and wagon we can get when the water goes down . If another wagon goes over Oi 'll rejuce it every mother 's son of yez , and tie yez up by the thumbs besides . '' Si and Shorty waded around to unhitch the struggling mules , and then , taking poles in hand to steady themselves , took their stations in the stream where they could head the mules right . Thru the beating storm and the growing darkness , the wagons were , one by one , laboriously worked over until , as midnight approached , only three or four remained on the other side . Chilled to the bone , and almost dropping with fatigue from hours of standing in the deep water running like a mill race . Si called Al Klapp , Sib Ball and Jesse Langley to take their poles and act as guides . Al Klapp had it in for the sutlers .