three o'clock in the afternoon
Rigid necessity compelled them to proceed in the face of the direst hardships . Their mission was one which could not be stayed so long as they possessed legs and stout hearts . Checked by the misfortune at the bridge , there was nothing left for them but to make the best of the situation : they set forth on foot across the mountain , following the short but more arduous route from the lower to the upper valley . Since three o'clock in the afternoon they had been struggling along their way , at times by narrow wagon roads , not infrequently by trails and foot paths that made for economy in distance . The tall man strode onward with never decreasing strength and confidence ; his companions , on the contrary , were faint and sore and scowling . They were not to the mountains born ; they came from the gentle lowlands by the sea , -- from broad plantations and pleasant byways , from the tidewater country . He was the leader on this ugly night , and yet they were the masters ; they followed , but he led at their bidding .