five in the evening
There was no live-wire fencing in the forest , such as the Germans have erected along the frontier between Holland and Belgium . The frontier was guarded by patrols . These patrols were posted four men to every two hundred yards along the line through the forest , so that two men , patrolling in pairs , covered a hundred yards apiece . It was now half-past five in the evening . We both agreed that we should certainly make the attempt to cross the frontier that night . Francis nudged me , indicating the sapper with his eyes . `` Maggs , '' I said , `` we are all in a bad way , but our case is more desperate than yours .