nine
o'clock
Under the natural curiosity and love of entertainment that drew these strong , roughly dressed , roughly speaking pioneers to the point of interest , there was an under-current of grim determination to protect their new country from the schemes of unprincipled corporations . It was an old , old story . At the mass-meeting there were many vigorous speeches by hot-headed ones , a masterly address by Horace P. Blanton , and -- because he could not escape this -- a few words by James Greenfield , who was introduced by Blanton as `` the father of The King 's Basin Reclamation work '' and received by the citizens with generous applause . Acting upon Greenfield 's suggestion , a committee was appointed to wait upon Mr. Worth immediately upon his arrival and the meeting adjourned until nine o'clock that evening , when the committee would report . As the eventful day drew near its close , horsemen from the South Central District began to arrive . These were the men who had worked for Jefferson Worth on the canals and who , through him , were now developing ranches of their own . These South Central men scattered quietly through the crowd and soon in every group there was one or more of the new-comers , listening attentively .