nearly midnight
For the first few miles the trail was so difficult that speed was out of the question ; but later , in crossing a high-lying valley , the horses were pushed . Beyond the valley there were more mountains , and half-way through this second range the trail plunged into a deep , cleft-like canyon with a brawling torrent for its pathfinder . Once more Blount lost the sense of direction , and when the canyon trail came out upon broad uplands and became a country road with bordering ranches watered by irrigation canals , into which the mountain torrent was diverted , there were no recognizable landmarks to tell him whither his captors were leading him . As he was able to determine by holding his watch , face up , to the moonlight , it was nearly midnight when the silent cavalcade of four turned aside from the main road into an avenue of spreading cottonwood trees . At its head the avenue became a circular driveway ; and fronting the driveway a stately house , with a massive Georgian facade and colonnaded portico , flung its shadow across the white gravel of the carriage approach . There were lights in one wing of the house , and another appeared behind the fan-light in the entrance-hall when the leader of the three highbinders had tramped up the steps and touched the bell-push . Blount had a fleeting glimpse of a black head with a fringe of snowy wool when the door was opened , but he did not hear what was said .