about ten o'clock
We worked with them until dusk , when all three of the foremen decided it was useless to try longer , but both Slaughter and Flood promised to bring back part of their outfits in the morning and make another effort . McCann 's camp-fire piloted us to our wagon , at least three miles from the bridge , for he had laid in a good supply of wood during the day ; and on our arrival our night horses were tied up , and everything made ready for the night . The next morning we started the herd , but Flood took four of us with him and went back to Big Boggy . The Millet herd was nearly two miles back from the bridge , where we found Slaughter at Jacklin 's wagon ; and several more of his men were , we learned , coming over with the oxen at about ten o'clock . That hour was considered soon enough by the bosses , as the heat of the day would be on the herd by that time , which would make them lazy . When the oxen arrived at the bridge , we rode out twenty strong and lined the cattle up for another trial . They had grazed until they were full and sleepy , but the memory of some of them was too vivid of the hours they had spent in the slimy ooze of Big Boggy once on a time , and they began milling on sight of the stream .