two in the morning
Tex met him just outside the corral and received the letter without comment , thrusting it into his pocket unread . He seemed much more interested in the arrival of the bolts , and after dinner set Stratton and McCabe to work in the wagon-shed replacing the broken ones . It was not until late in the afternoon that Buck managed a few words in private with Jessup , and was surprised to learn that the gang had been working all day to the southeast of the ranch . Tex himself had been absent from the party for an hour or two in the morning , but when he joined them he came from the direction of the Paloma trail , and Stratton did not believe he could have had time thoroughly to inspect the middle pasture and return so soon by so roundabout a course . `` He 'll do it to-morrow , sure , '' decided Buck . `` It is n't human nature to hold off much longer . '' He was right .