twelve o'clock
Every one helped , he said , and these five birds , added to the forty or fifty they were to steal that night , would make a good start toward the fifty dozen they wanted . After the boys had eaten supper , they secured four meal bags , which they hid away in a fence corner , so that they could find them again when they wanted them , and then adjourned to the wagon-shed to lay their plans for the night 's campaign . Of course their expedition could not be undertaken until everybody about the General 's plantation was abed and asleep . That would not be before ten or twelve o'clock -- the negroes kept late hours since they gained their freedom , Bob said -- and they dared not go to sleep for fear that they would not awake again before morning . They hardly knew what to do with themselves until bed time came . They spent an hour in talking over their plans , then went into the house and played checkers , and were glad indeed when the hour for retiring arrived . They made a show of going to bed , but they removed nothing but their boots , which they slammed down on the floor with more noise than usual .