midnight
He expected to hold on sale a week or two , when if unsold he would drift north to the Platte . The first week that I worked , a wet stormy night struck us , and before ten o'clock we lost every hoof of cattle . I was riding wild after little squads of cattle here and there , guided by flashes of lightning , when the storm finally broke . Well , there it was midnight , and I did n't have a HOOF OF CATTLE to hold and no one to help me if I had . The truth is , I was lost . Common horse-sense told me that ; but where the outfit or wagon was was anybody 's guess . The horses in my mount were as good as worthless ; worn out , and if you gave one free rein he lacked the energy to carry you back to camp .