nine o'clock
But in this peaceful country it seemed a more murderous thing to do . Yet perhaps the truest reason why my nerves had turned to steel was the dominating thought of Sylvia . Twice I rehearsed before Smilax what I was to do . I stood apart and called : `` Post One , nine o'clock , and all 's - er-well ! '' to let him judge if my voice differed materially from the one we heard last night . This was most important , as the suspicion of the guard at post Three must not be aroused . I then called the next post in an altered voice , and felt well pleased when Smilax said the tones were near enough to pass .