about nine o'clock
We had seen no one . The creek bottom was covered with forest and dense undergrowth . We crossed the creek some distance below the road , and kept in the woods for a mile without having to venture into the open . It was about nine o'clock ; we had made something like three miles since we had left Old Church . In order to get beyond the next crossroad , it was evident that we must run some risk of being seen from four directions at once , or else we must flank the crossing . By diverging to the right , we found woods to conceal us all the way until we were in sight of the crossroad . I dismounted , and bidding Jones remain , crept forward until I could see both ways , up and down , on the road .