Six o'clock
The guard , armed to the teeth , have passed and repassed them , challenged and received their answer , and as often examined their passes . They-the negroes-have come for a dead man . Guardmen get no fees of dead men , -- the law has no more demands to serve : they wish the boys much joy with their booty , and pass on . Six o'clock arrives ; the first bell rings ; locks , bolts , and bars clank in ungrateful medley ; rumbling voices are heard within the hollow-sounding aisles ; whispers from above chime ominously with the dull shuffle rumbling from below . `` Seven more cases , -- how it rages ! '' grumbles a monotonous voice , and the gate opens at the warden 's touch . `` Who 's here ? ''