twelve o'clock
A man hears they 're in the neighbourhood , and keeps a watch for a week or two . But he ca n't be always waiting at home all day long with double-barrelled guns , and all his young fellows and the overseer that ought to be at their work among their cattle or sheep on the run idling their time away . No , he soon gets sick of that , and either sends his family away to town till the danger 's past , or he ` chances it ' , as people do about a good many things in the country . Then some fine day , about eleven or twelve o'clock , or just before tea , or before they 've gone to bed , the dogs bark , and three or four chaps seem to have got into the place without anybody noticing 'em , the master of the house finds all the revolvers looking his way , and the thing 's done . The house is cleared out of everything valuable , though nobody 's harmed or frightened -- in a general way , that is -- a couple of the best horses are taken out of the stable , and the next morning there 's another flaring article in the local paper . A good many men tried all they knew to be prepared and have a show for it ; but there was only one that ever managed to come out right . We did n't mean to turn out all in a minute .