midnight
Reloading his revolver and slipping it into his pocket , Peter locked the cabin carefully , and after listening to the sounds of the woods for awhile , made his way up the path to Black Rock House . He had decided to say nothing about the incident which , so far as he could see , concerned only himself , and so when the men on guard questioned him about the shots that they had heard he told them that he had been firing at a mark . This was quite true , even if the mark had been invisible . Shad Wells was off duty until midnight so Peter went the rounds , calling the men to the guardhouse and telling them of the change in the orders . They were to wait until the company upon the portico went indoors and then , with Jesse in command , they were to take new stations in trees and clumps of bushes which Peter designated much nearer the house . The men eyed his dinner jacket with some curiosity and not a little awe , and Peter informed them that it was the old man 's order and that he , Peter , was going to keep watch from inside the house , but that a blast from a whistle would fetch him out . He also warned them that it was McGuire 's wish that none of the visitors should be aware of the watchmen and that therefore there should be no false alarms .