about one o'clock
`` It was a delightful moonlight night -- almost as bright as day ; the moon 's brightness put out the stars , and not aboon a dozen were visible , though there wasna half that number of clouds in the whole heavens , and they were just like white sheets , that spirits might be sleeping on in the air ! We proceeded by way of Twisel to Norham , where we crossed the Tweed to Ladykirk ; and as at midnight we passed by the auld kirkyard , I believe I actually put my hands to my ears , lest I should hear the howlets flapping their wings and screaming in the belfry , and turned my face away from it in a sort of apprehension of seeing a spirit , or something waur , upon every grave ; for your mother 's prophecies were uppermost in my mind , in spite of all that I could say or strive to think . And I believe that your uncle 's mind was troubled wi ' the same sort of fears or fancies ; for we were both silent the greater part of the road , and spoke very little to each other . `` However , just about one o'clock , and when the moon was beginning to edge down upon the Lammermuirs , we arrived at an enclosure , in which Cunningham had sixty head of cattle penned . The six of us had but little difficulty in breaking down the gate that opened to the enclosure ; and just as we were beginning to drive out the cattle , a man started up on a sort of tower place that was built upon the wall that surrounded them , and hurled a kind of instrument round his head , that made a noise like a thousand corn-craiks crying together in concert , and trying which would craik loudest and fastest . At the unearthly sound , the cattle also commenced a louting that might easily have been heard at two or three miles off . `` It at once struck me , as the best and wisest step for us to take , that we should put spurs into our horses , and gallop back to Tweedside ; for I kenned it would be impossible for us to secure a single cow , surrounded , as we were sure to be in a few minutes , by sixty or a hundred men ; and though I was no coward , I was aware that there could be but little bravery in six men attempting to give battle to sixty .