midnight
Inasmuch as Budd had visited the men during the day and formed numerous acquaintances , he had little difficulty in making himself known . All , excepting the guards , had retired for the night , but the visitor was conducted to the place where Maj. Sitgraves was asleep , Jennie remaining on the outskirts with one of the sentinels , who treated her with all courtesy . Maj. Sitgraves was a brave man , who had only to hear the story brought to him by the honest cowboy to understand the urgency of the case . It was now near midnight , and the attack at the ranch was liable to be made at any moment . The stockmen could not reach the scene of danger too soon . Almost instantly the camp was astir . It looked as if the men had received orders to attack a force of Indians , whose location was just made known to them , and , in point of fact , the situation was somewhat similar , for a brisk fight appeared inevitable .