noon
I do not know that Uncle Jeff cared much about this promise , so confident did he feel in his power to protect his own property , -- believing that his men , though few , would prove staunch . But he thanked the lieutenant , and hoped he should have the pleasure of seeing him again before long . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ During the night the sergeant was taken ill ; and as he was no better in the morning , Lieutenant Broadstreet , who did not wish to go without him , was further delayed . The lieutenant hoped , however , that by noon the poor fellow might have sufficiently recovered to enable them to start . After breakfast I accompanied him to the hut to visit the other men . Although he summoned them by name , -- shouting out `` Karl Klitz , '' `` Barney Gillooly , '' `` Pat Sperry , '' -- no one answered ; so , shoving open the door , we entered . At first the hut appeared to be empty , but as we looked into one of the bunks we beheld the last-named individual , so sound asleep that , though his officer shouted to him to know what had become of his comrades , he only replied by grunts .