ten o'clock
They were conscious that something unusual was in progress , something that threatened their security and comfort , and they resented it in the only way they knew . Car after car was jammed full of the frightened creatures as the men moved from pen to pen , threw open and shut the big gates , and hustled the stock up the chutes . Dave had begun work at six in the morning . A glance at his watch showed him that it was now ten o'clock . A middle-aged man in wrinkled corduroys and a pinched-in white hat drove up to the fence . `` How 're they coming , Sam ? '' he asked of the foreman in charge .