four o’clock in the afternoon
Was he not alone , alas ? A horse would suffice him ; and , very fortunately , a horse could be had . It was an animal of strength and mettle , and Michael Strogoff , accomplished horseman as he was , could make good use of it . It was four o'clock in the afternoon . Michael Strogoff , compelled to wait till nightfall , in order to pass the fortifications , but not desiring to show himself , remained in the posting-house , and there partook of food . There was a great crowd in the public room . They were talking of the expected arrival of a corps of Muscovite troops , not at Omsk , but at Tomsk -- a corps intended to recapture that town from the Tartars of Feofar-Khan .