About three o'clock
At about half-past one in the morning I found Nikitin standing in the garden , looking in front of him across the river , over which a very faint light was beginning to break ... . I touched him on the arm and he started , as though he had been very far away . `` How did Trenchard die ? '' He answered at once , very readily : `` About three o'clock the shells were close . The wagons arrived a little before seven so we had fully four anxious hours . We had had everything ready all the afternoon and , of course , just then we could n't go out to fetch the wounded and I think that the army sanitars were working in another direction , so that we had nothing to do -- which was pretty trying . I did n't see Mr. until just before seven .