about midnight
Not far away , he thought , as he turned his face to the southward , the cabins of settlers along the Smoky Hill were burning , and death and desolation marked the trail of the cruel Cheyennes . Now and again Sandy , shivering in the chill and dampness of the wood , fell back and whispered to Oscar , who followed him in the narrow trail , that this would be awfully jolly if he were not so sleepy . The lad was accustomed to go to bed soon after dark ; it was now late into the night . All hands were glad when the big double cabin of the Battles family came in sight about midnight , conspicuous on a rise of the rolling prairie and black against the sky . Lights were burning brightly in one end of the cabin ; in the other end a part of the company had gone to sleep , camping on the floor . Hot coffee and corn-bread were ready for the newcomers , and Younkins , with a tender regard for the lads , who were unaccustomed to milk when at home , brought out a big pan of delicious cool milk for their refreshment . Altogether , as Sandy confessed to himself , an Indian scare was not without its fun .