about midnight
I escaped from my window on to the roof of the dairy , and from there down a water-pipe , across the yard to an old hay-loft . For a long time they ran in and out of the house , like ants , looting and pillaging ; then there was a great shout , and for some time not a soul came out of the house . I guessed they had got into the cellars . At about midnight I saw that the house was on fire . In a few minutes it was an inferno and the drunken soldiers came pouring out , firing their rifles in all directions . I had found a piece of rope in the loft . One end I placed on a hook and the other round my neck .