seven o'clock
For a considerable time he walked back and forth before the portal ere any one appeared . The first riser was a man servant of the household , who informed Israel that seven o'clock was the hour the people went to their work . Soon after he met an hostler of the place , who gave him permission to lie on some straw in an outhouse . There he enjoyed a sweet sleep till awakened at seven o'clock by the sounds of activity around him . Supplied by the overseer of the men with a large iron fork and a hoe , he followed the hands into the field . He was so weak he could hardly support his tools . Unwilling to expose his debility , he yet could not succeed in concealing it .