eleven o'clock
They rode cautiously until they were quite out of the ravine , and then started down the valley at a gallop . In an hour Bertie exclaimed , `` There is the flag ! '' They rode to it and then turned off to the north , slackening their pace to a trot . The animals were in good condition , as they had of late been making short marches , and at eleven o'clock they came upon the river . Here they waited for an hour , gave a couple of cakes to each animal , and ate the rest themselves . The river was some fifty yards across , but the mules only needed to swim about half this distance . The brothers kept beside them , placing one elbow on the saddles and holding their rifles and ammunition well above the water .