six o'clock
The only fear he had was that in the excitement of attack some harm might befall those precious lives . To avert this he gave orders to be passed back along the column to fire no shot until they had closed with the band , and then to be most careful to aim wide of the wagons . Every man in the little troop well knew how much was at stake , and men , all mercy to their beasts at other times , were now plying the cruel spur . Five , six o'clock had come and gone . The chase was still out of sight ahead , yet every moment seemed to bring them closer upon their heels . At every bend of the tortuous trail the leader 's eye was strained to see the dust-cloud rising ahead . But jutting point and rolling shoulder of bluff or hill-side ever interposed .