six in the morning
He himself kept the centre of the troop , two men riding before and two behind him , always , as it seemed to Darsie , having their eye upon him , to prevent any attempt to escape . He could see from time to time , when the straight line of the road , or the advantage of an ascent permitted him , that another troop of three or four riders followed them at about a quarter of a mile 's distance , amongst whom he could discover the tall form of Redgauntlet , and the powerful action of his gallant black horse . He had little doubt that Green Mantle made one of the party , though he was unable to distinguish her from the others . In this manner they travelled from six in the morning until nearly ten of the clock , without Darsie exchanging a word with any one ; for he loathed the very idea of entering into conversation with Cristal Nixon , against whom he seemed to feel an instinctive aversion ; nor was that domestic 's saturnine and sullen disposition such as to have encouraged advances , had he thought of making them . At length the party halted for the purpose of refreshment ; but as they had hitherto avoided all villages and inhabited places upon their route , so they now stopped at one of those large ruinous Dutch barns , which are sometimes found in the fields , at a distance from the farm-houses to which they belong . Yet in this desolate place some preparations had been made for their reception . There were in the end of the barn racks filled with provender for the horses , and plenty of provisions for the party were drawn from the trusses of straw , under which the baskets that contained them had been deposited .