night, about ten o'clock
Frank 's object had been accomplished , for the market men had gone away satisfied that twenty determined men could easily effect the capture of the gun-boat , and they seemed determined to make the most of what they had seen . Gaines 's Landing had been a regular mail station , and the rebels had only been deterred from sending it across the river by the presence of the Boxer . The market men , however , had discovered , as they supposed , that the vessel was but poorly manned , and this being communicated to their leader , -LRB- for , as Frank had suspected , they belonged to a regularly-organized band of guerrillas , -RRB- the latter determined to dispatch his mail at once . That night , about ten o'clock , as Frank and Archie sat in the cabin reading , the orderly reported that lights were seen moving about on shore . This was something unusual , and when Frank had watched the light for a moment , he came to the conclusion that the rebels were making some movements , the nature of which he was , of course , unable to determine ; but he resolved , if possible , to find out what was going on , and turning to the officer of the deck , ordered the cutter to be called away and furnished with an armed crew . This order was speedily and quietly executed , and when the boat was ready , Frank and his cousin stepped into it , and were pulled noiselessly up the river . The place where the light shone was about half a mile from the vessel , and when they came opposite to it , the crew rested on their oars , giving only an occasional stroke to keep the cutter from floating down the stream , and waited impatiently for the rebels to show themselves .