About midnight
`` But , as I remarks yeretofore , Curly Ben is the most ornery person I ever overtakes , an ' the feelin 's of the camp is in nowise laid waste when Moon adds him to the list that time in the Red Light bar . It 's this a-way : `` It 's about a month before , when Captain Moon an ' his nephy , with two 8-mule teams and four big three-an ' - a-half Bain wagons , two lead an ' two trail they be , comes freightin ' out of Silver City with their eyes on Wolfville . It 's the fourth night out , an ' they 're camped near a Injun agency . About midnight a half dozen of the bucks comes scoutin ' ` round their camp , allowin ' to a moral certainty they 'll see what 's loose an ' little enough for 'em to pull . The aborigines makes the error of goin ' up the wind from Moon 's mules , which is grazin ' about with hobbles on , an ' them sagacious anamiles actooally has fits . It 's a fact , if you want to see a mule go plumb into the air an ' remain , jest let him get a good , ample , onmistakable smell of a Injun ! It simply onhinges his reason ; he ai n't no more responsible than a cimmaron sheep .