about two o'clock in the morning
A few days after leaving Santa Gertruda Ranch , we crossed the Nueces River , which we followed up for several days , keeping in touch with it for water for the herd . But the Nueces , after passing Oakville , makes an abrupt turn , doubling back to the southwest ; and the Atascosa , one of its tributaries , became our source of water supply . We were beginning to feel a degree of overconfidence in the good behavior of our herd , when one night during the third week out , an incident occurred in which they displayed their running qualities to our complete satisfaction . It occurred during our guard , and about two o'clock in the morning . The night was an unusually dark one and the atmosphere was very humid . After we had been on guard possibly an hour , John Officer and I riding in one direction on opposite sides of the herd , and The Rebel circling in the opposite , Officer 's horse suddenly struck a gopher burrow with his front feet , and in a moment horse and rider were sprawling on the ground . The accident happened but a few rods from the sleeping herd , which instantly came to their feet as one steer , and were off like a flash .