noon
Now , naturally , the soldiers preferred fresh meat , and they got it -- impressing cattle , sheep , and hogs , geese , chickens , and ducks , vegetables -- nothing escaped the capacious maw of the Army of the Callahan . It was a beautiful idea , and the success of it pleased Flitter Bill mightily , but the relief did not last long . An indignant murmur rose up and down valley and creek bottom against the outrages , and one angry old farmer took a pot-shot at Captain Wells with a squirrel rifle , clipping the visor of his forage cap ; and from that day the captain began to call with immutable regularity again on Flitter Bill for bacon and meal . That morning the last straw fell in a demand for a wagon-load of rations to be delivered before noon , and , worn to the edge of his patience , Bill had sent a reckless refusal . And now he was waiting on the stoop of his store , looking at the mouth of the Gap and waiting for it to give out into the valley Captain Wells and his old gray mare . And at last , late in the afternoon , there was the captain coming -- coming at a swift gallop -- and Bill steeled himself for the onslaught like a knight in a joust against a charging antagonist . The captain saluted stiffly -- pulling up sharply and making no move to dismount .