two o'clock in the morning
The besiegers could not have failed to hear the shot from Tad 's rifle , but it did not seem to disturb them . They evidently did not even dream that one of the party had escaped their vigilance and that he was well on his way for assistance . The wait from that time on was a tedious and trying one , though each felt a certain sense of elation that Tad Butler had succeeded in outwitting the enemy . It was shortly after two o'clock in the morning when Kris Kringle espied a party of horsemen slowly encircling the adobe house . The riders were strung out far off on the plain . Those hiding in the sage in front of the house could not see the approaching horsemen . `` There they come , '' whispered Kris Kringle .