eleven o'clock
I will see that your horse is in readiness . I have a friend that will accompany us to Cherry Valley , and return with the horses before the morning star rises , which will prevent our place of retreat being discovered . '' As soon as Nelly 's father and mother were lost in dreamless slumbers , Nelly passed out of her chamber with noiseless steps , carrying her wearing apparel in a bundle , closely packed , and found Mayall and his friend in readiness , with three horses saddled and equipped for the journey . The company were quickly mounted on three spirited horses , and reached Cherry Valley at eleven o'clock P. M. -- a place Nelly had never seen before . No cottage window showed the light of a taper ; but the light of the full moon fell in tranquil loveliness upon the rounded hill-tops , and the glittering stars added their beauty to the heavens , while the green forest and flowering shrubbery clothed the earth with beauty , and the sweet-scented clover perfumed the surrounding air . The company dismounted under a broad , spreading forest tree at the south end of the village , near which ran a little rivulet , that meandered in graceful curves southward . Here Mayall and Nelly G. gave the hand of their friend a hearty shake , and an affectionate farewell , enjoining on him the strictest secrecy as he started on his return journey to the Valley of the Mohawk , which he reached just in time to return Nolly 's horse to her father 's stable and his own to the pasture , before the morning sun dashed her light on all the western hills , and painted the surrounding groves in all the glory of summer .