the hours from midnight
And if , when the moon goes to the other side , they contrive to place their charge and blow in the door , it will only be to find us with our jazails at the barricade , and they will never get beyond it . '' Ahmed 's cheerfulness inspirited the old gate-keeper and the rest of the garrison . The women and girls had been conveyed to the upper chambers , and Ahmed at the fall of night went up to them and did what he could to reassure them . Once or twice during the night , after the moon had gone down , there were sounds from below indicating that another attempt was to be made on the door ; but a shot from the window was sufficient to send the men scuttering back to the houses , and the hours from midnight to dawn passed undisturbed . The garrison snatched a little sleep , and were roused by the morning cry of the mullah in the village mosque calling to the faithful to awake : `` Prayer is more than sleep ! '' It was afternoon when the two men who had left the village were seen returning with three others , their horses loaded with bags , which no doubt contained gunpowder . They were received with shouts of `` Wah !