about five o'clock
It was large enough also for two to sleep inside together , always supposing that the two were of accommodating dispositions ! That they had now reached a land which swarmed with wild animals was intimated to some extent by the running past , within fifty yards of their bivouac , of a troop of elephants . It was daybreak at the time , so that , having been thus rudely aroused , they did not deem it necessary to return to rest but after taking a hasty mouthful of food , set forth on their journey . The usual mode of proceeding on the march was as follows : -- They rose about five o'clock , or soon after the appearance of dawn , and swallowed a cup of tea , with a bit of biscuit , then some of the men folded up the blankets and stowed them away in the bags , others tied up the cooking utensils , etcetera , in bundles , and hung them at the ends of carrying-sticks , which they bore upon their shoulders . The process did not take long . They were soon on the march , either in single file , if the path were narrow , or in groups , according to fancy , where the ground admitted of their spreading out . About nine , a convenient spot was chosen for a halt to breakfast , which meat , although not '' _ eaten _ the night before in order to save time in the morning , '' was at all events _ cooked _ on the previous evening for the same end , so that it only needed warming up .