three in the morning
That evening they halted , for the night , at a small village high up in the passes . The French officer took every precaution against surprise . Twenty sentries were placed at various points round the village ; and as many more were posted , in pairs , three or four hundred yards farther out . At three in the morning , several shots were fired . The troops all got under arms , and parties were sent out to the outposts . At two of these posts both the sentries were found stabbed to the heart . At others men had been seen crawling up towards them , and the shots that had aroused the troops had been fired .