four o'clock
Mad she might be , but determined she was , and had deliberately dodged past them at the Beaver , fearing opposition to her project . At two , moreover , they found that she could `` trail '' as well as they , for among the stunted cedars at the crest of a steep divide , they found the print of the stout brogans worn by their infantry comrades , and , down among the rocks of the next ravine , crushed bits of hardtack by a `` tank '' in the hillside . She had stopped there long enough at least to water Punch , then pushed on again . Once more they saw her , not three miles ahead at four o'clock , just entering a little clump of pines at the top of a steep acclivity . They fired their rifles and shouted loud in hopes of halting her , but all to no purpose . Night came down and compelled them to bivouac . They built a big fire to guide the wanderers , but morning broke without sign of them ; so on they went , for now , away from the rocks the trail was often distinct , and once again they found the pony hoof-prints and thanked God .