one o'clock
It seemed their duty to go back at once to headquarters with the meagre information and their wounded comrade . But Fiske made light of his trouble -- it was a mere scratch -- and reminded them that their orders were to make sure of the enemy 's movements . Therefore , it was arranged that Seymour take back Fiske and what news they had , while Rolf went on to complete his scouting . By one o'clock he was again on the hill where he had marked the horseman 's outward flight and the escorted guns . Now , as he waited , there were sounds in the north that faded , and in the south were similar sounds that grew . Within an hour he was viewing a still larger body of troops with drivers and wheels that clanked . There were only two explanations possible : Either the British were concentrating on Chazy Landing , where , protected from MacDonough by the north wind , they could bring enough stores and forces from the north to march overland independent of the ships , or else they were in full retreat for Canada .