midnight
Then , he went prowling about the fields , creeping along , keeping to the slopes so as to avoid observation , listening to the least sounds , restless as a poacher . When he believed the time had arrived he took up his position at the roadside , and hid himself in a clump of brushwood . He still waited . At length , near midnight , he heard the galloping of a horse 's hoofs on the hard soil of the road . The old man put his ear to the ground to make sure that only one cavalryman was approaching ; then he got ready . The Uhlan came on at a very quick pace , carrying some dispatches . He rode forward with watchful eyes and strained ears .