four o'clock
Their work completed , Lieutenant Mackinson and his men were on their way back to make their report when they met Slim , who had been relieved for the night at headquarters . `` What time did Jerry come down ? '' Joe asked , after they had passed remarks about the various thrills of the day . `` Do n't know , '' Slim answered , `` but I saw them there at four o'clock , and they were n't there when I looked again , about half an hour later , so you can judge pretty well for yourself . '' `` Guess he had a pretty good bird 's - eye view of the whole thing , '' said Joe , as they passed on , to meet again before mess . Except for spasmodic outbursts here and there , the trench duel had almost entirely subsided , and the heavy roar of the artillery also was punctuated with longer pauses . Whatever the morrow might bring , the night promised to be fairly quiet , while each side took account of stock and made necessary repairs , or altered their plans to meet the new situation .