midnight
I suppose that in certain hands the beast became tame . Or perhaps it was drugged . Two nights later , for the Black Kendah advanced but slowly , spreading themselves over the country in order to collect such crops as had not been gathered through lack of time or because they were still unripe , we saw flames and smoke arising from the Town of the Child beneath us , which they had fired . Now we knew that the time of trial had come and until near midnight men , women and children worked feverishly finishing or trying to finish the fortifications and making every preparation in our power . Our position was that we held a very strong post , that is , strong against an enemy unprovided with big guns or even firearms , which , as all other possible approaches had been blocked , was only assailable by direct frontal attack from the east . In the pass we had three main lines of defence , one arranged behind the other and separated by distances of a few hundred yards . Our last refuge was furnished by the walls of the temple itself , in the rear of which were camped the whole White Kendah tribe , save a few hundred who were employed in watching the herds of camels and stock in almost inaccessible positions on the northern slopes of the Mount .