midnight
De time befo ' Velox passed me ; but now I 'm ridin ' him , an ' I 'd like to see de debil hisself overtake me . '' `` We'uns air safe , '' said Wiles , `` but we'uns must hold back our hosses sum , for we uns hev a good jaunt to take , an ' it wo n't do to tire 'em out at fust . '' Both acted at once on this sensible advice , and they brought the ready animals down to a moderate trot . It was now a little past midnight , and not a soul was to be seen on the road . A light breeze blew softly from the south , shaking the tiny forest leaves and blowing across the fields to welcome the coming footsteps of another day . Though these bad men boasted to each other that they had the winning hand , there was some uneasiness in their hearts . They knew that this was the highest stake they had ever played ; they were striking at the chief man of the county , and had stolen the best horses on his plantation .