about three o'clock in the afternoon
All night the girl and her companion rode on , at a pace as rapid as the nature of the road and the darkness rendered safe , and at daylight they were far away from the neighbourhood of the enemy 's camp . As the sun came up from the east , the guide of Emily , according to instructions , after minutely describing to her the course she was to take , left her to pursue the remainder of her journey alone . Without stopping to refresh either herself or her tired horse , the young heroine pressed forward , though the heat grew more and more intense every hour , as the sun swept up toward the zenith . Faint , weary , and almost sick with fatigue , hunger , and excitement , she was urging on the jaded animal she rode , when , about three o'clock in the afternoon , in emerging from a dense wood , she came suddenly on a file of soldiers whose uniform she knew too well to leave a doubt of their being friends . `` Where will I find General Sumter ? '' was her first , eager inquiry . `` He is encamped a mile from here . ''