nine o'clock
Then she stopped , a tremor ran through her limbs , and she lay still . She had gone to the Reservation . Not that devised by the wisdom of man , but that one set apart from the foundation of the world for the wisest as well as the meanest of His creatures . Before nine o'clock it was pretty well known all along the river that the two partners of the `` Amity Claim '' had quarrelled and separated at daybreak . At that time the attention of their nearest neighbor had been attracted by the sounds of altercations and two consecutive pistol-shots . Running out , he had seen , dimly , in the gray mist that rose from the river , the tall form of Scott , one of the partners , descending the hill toward the canyon ; a moment later , York , the other partner , had appeared from the cabin , and walked in an opposite direction toward the river , passing within a few feet of the curious watcher . Later it was discovered that a serious Chinaman , cutting wood before the cabin , had witnessed part of the quarrel .