About three o'clock in the morning
The tutor slept in my room that night , and my four brothers , the eldest of whom was a lieutenant on the police guard , in a room across the hallway . I explained to the tutor that there was much lawlessness in the region ; that we `` foreigners '' were trying to build a town , and that , to ensure law and order , we had all become volunteer policemen . He seemed to think it was most interesting . About three o'clock in the morning a shrill whistle blew , and , from habit , I sprang out of bed . I had hardly struck the floor when four pairs of heavy boots thundered down the stairs just outside the door , and I heard a gasp from the startled tutor . He was bolt upright in bed , and his face in the moonlight was white with fear . `` Wha -- wha -- what 's that ? ''