four o'clock
Stan knew he had been lying there waiting for the stove to get hot . They dashed water over their faces and hurried out into the raw morning . Stan glanced at his watch . It was four o'clock . They walked to the briefing room where they joined a crowd of pilots who were seated on benches staring at a square of transparent talc pinned over a wall map . Red lines showed the route of the Forts and Libs . Soon a sleepy buzz of conversation filled the air .