three o'clock in the morning
Juan now saw that it would be impracticable to advance until daylight ; but he also knew that the enemy would not venture to march , so that , even if they were at an equal distance from the fort , we should get there first . He accordingly announced that he should remain during the night ; so the men employed themselves in cooking their supper , rubbing down their horses , and in other ways , until they lay down to sleep in the driest spot they could find . The officers occupied one of the rooms of the house . It was somewhere about two or three o'clock in the morning when Juan roused me up . `` I intend to ride on ahead of the party , in order to reach an elevated spot by daybreak , from whence I can take a survey of the fort and the surrounding country , and therefore learn the ground on which we may possibly have to operate , '' said he . `` You will come with me , Duncan ? '' I sprang to my feet .