five o’clock
And as they had had no time to ascertain the condition of the men left for us to deal with , they had thought it best to return lest the wounded enemy prove not to be _ hors de combat _ after all . Fortunately the distance from this lonely spot to Jerez was not more than thirty kilometres , and within three miles there was a farm . Here a cart could be got to take the wounded brigands into the town ; and from Jerez a posse of men would be immediately sent out to scour the country for the escaped brigands . The King , whom the guardia civile recognized with respectful surprise , was now anxious to get back to Seville , where he was due in the royal box for the Good Friday procession , and must appear by five o'clock at latest . He delayed only long enough to be sure that his chauffeur was not hurt beyond a slight concussion of the brain , to speak a few kind words to the civil guard , and to say a significantly emphasized `` _ Au revoir _ '' to Dick and me . Then , taking the wheel himself , whilst the half-dazed chauffeur lay in the tonneau , he backed the big , reddish-brown car off the barricade , and darted away in a cloud of dust at a good forty miles an hour . It was left for us to do what we could to advance the civil guard with their task ; and though we had already lost too much time for my peace of mind , it was our plain duty to help those who had helped us .