midnight
They rode towards the river and slowly proceeded to cross it . They were on the other side of the river and there they briefly stopped to take-in the beauty of their surroundings . Suddenly , the horses beneath them were frightened and they bucked , without warning , and several men came out of nowhere , and proceeded to beat on Lloyd and Boyce . In a nearby tree , was a crow , as dark as midnight , and it squawked and cawed when the men got to the other side of the river , and it watched the other men attack . In frenzied excitement it eyed the struggle that took place at the river 's edge , and its shrieks were echoing throughout the entire forest . Caught unawares , and while weakened by their journey , the ambushers knocked both men unconscious and took all of their possessions , including their two horses , and their clothes . The left them both naked , lying unconscious and bleeding , half in the water and half on the river 's bank .