midnight
I got to my seat quickly , confident that nature had not intended me for a lady 's - maid . Awhile later we heard the call of a picket far afield , but saw no camp . A horseman -- I thought him a cavalry officer -- passed us , flashing in our faces the light of a dark lantern , but said nothing . It must have been near midnight when , as we were going slowly through deep sand , I heard the clang of a cow-bell in the near darkness . Another sounded quickly a bit farther on . The driver gave no heed to it , although I recognized the signal , and knew something would happen shortly . We had come into the double dark of the timber when , suddenly , our horses reared , snorting , and stopped .