midnight
It _ was _ the morning of life ! The eight men engaged in the remarkable enterprise on the Pottawattomie , led by their indomitable Captain , mounted their stolen horses and boldly rode to the camp of the military company commanded by John Brown , Jr. . The father planned to make his stand behind these guns if pursued by formidable foes . Brown reached the camp of the Rifles near Ottawa Jones ' farm at midnight . The fires still burned brightly . To his surprise he found that the news of the murders had traveled faster than the stolen horses . The camp was demoralized .