eight o'clock
I shall speak very strongly of your services during the past week , and it is always a good thing for an officer selected to carry the news of a success ; and lastly , you can give a much better account of our operations , since we crossed the frontier , than an orderly could do , and Wellington may want to send orders back for our future work . '' `` I am game , '' Ryan said , `` and thank you for the offer . How long will you be ? '' `` Well , it is eight o'clock now , and if you start at midnight it will be soon enough ; so if you have finished your supper , you had better lie down on that bed in the next room and get a sleep ; for you were marching all last night , and will want some rest before starting on such a journey . '' Chapter 15 : Dick Ryan 's Capture . Terence wrote two despatches , one giving a full account of the engagement , the other a detail of the work that had been performed since they crossed the frontier . He wrote them in duplicate , so that he might send off another messenger , three hours later ; in case , by any chance , Ryan failed to reach Miranda .