one o’clock
Irreparable mistakes had been committed ; and now the insurgents , without order or discipline , barely protected by a few sentries , and under the command of irresolute men , found themselves at the mercy of the first soldiers that might arrive . They spent two more days at Orcheres , Tuesday and Wednesday , thus losing time and aggravating the situation . The general , the man with the sabre , whom Silvere had pointed out to Miette on the Plassans road , vacillated and hesitated under the terrible responsibility that weighed upon him . On Thursday he came to the conclusion that the position of Orcheres was a decidedly dangerous one ; so towards one o'clock he gave orders to march , and led his little army to the heights of Sainte-Roure . That was , indeed , an impregnable position for any one who knew how to defend it . The houses of Sainte-Roure rise in tiers along a hill-side ; behind the town all approach is shut off by enormous rocks , so that this kind of citadel can only be reached by the Nores plain , which spreads out at the foot of the plateau . An esplanade , converted into a public walk planted with magnificent elms , overlooks the plain .