ten o'clock
They must know very well that we would not venture to climb up during the day , and that it would be next to impossible for us to do so in the dark , even if we made up our minds to abandon the animals and all our stores . '' `` Well , I should say , Dias , there is no reason why we should put the matter off . It will not take us long to load all the squibs to-morrow . My opinion is that at dusk we had better saddle the mules and pack everything on them in readiness for a start ; then at ten o'clock we can go down and attack the savages . The best moment for doing so will be when they are just lying down . When we have sent them flying we will come up the torrent again , and start with the mules as soon as it is daylight . It would be next to impossible to get them down in the dark , as they might very easily break their legs , or by rubbing against the wall shift their packs and tumble them into the water . ''