one
o'clock
As the snowball war was a serious affair , and was conducted after a scientific fashion , it never commenced until there was a good body of snow upon the ground and pure snow could be gathered up without earth and stones . The unpardonable sin of our warfare was slipping a stone into a snowball : this was the same as poisoning the wells , and the miscreant who perpetrated this crime was cast out from every school . There was a general understanding between parties that the mercies were not to be wasted , and that the schools were to refrain themselves until there was a fair and lasting supply of ammunition . It was still snowing on Thursday morning , and there were some who said that war might now be declared ; and Jock Howieson , ever a daring and rash spirit , declared we should repent it if we were not ready against one o'clock . Speug and Dunc were however of opinion that nothing was likely to take place that day except desultory skirmishes , and that the whole day ought to be spent in accumulating a store of snowballs against Friday , when there was no question that we should have to face the united schools in a decisive battle . This was the only instance where our captains ever made a mistake , and they atoned for their error of judgment by the valour and skill with which they retrieved what seemed a hopeless defeat . As the hours wore on to one o'clock Speug could be seen glancing anxiously out at the window , and he secured an opportunity with Dunc for a hasty conference during the geometry lesson .