about one o'clock in the morning
These miserable thoughts ran through my head , but I marched on with more courage , and Buche said : `` The English are right in having their bottles made of tin , for if I had not seen this shining in the moonlight , I should never have thought of going to look for it . '' Every moment while we were talking in this way men were riding by , their horses almost ready to drop , but by beating and spurring , they kept them trotting just the same . The noise of the retreating army began to reach our ears again in the distance , but fortunately we had the advance . It might have been about one o'clock in the morning , and we thought ourselves safe , when suddenly Buche said to me : `` Joseph , here are the Prussians ! '' And looking behind us , I saw in the moonlight five bronzed hussars from the same regiment as those who , the year before , had cut poor Klipfel to pieces . I thought this was a bad sign . `` Is your gun loaded ? ''