about three o'clock in the morning
When I wos comin ' ` ome from St. Eve two or dree ` ours agone , I ` eared young Nick plannin ' ev it weth Buddle . '' `` Explain , George , '' I said . George told his story , with the result that we made our way to the `` Sheeps ' Close '' and hid behind the hedge . Just before dawn -- that is , about three o'clock in the morning -- we saw two men coming toward the gateway . We saw them unfasten the gate and open it wide , then we heard one say to the other , `` Now let 's fetch up the sheep , and the fool will be worth a bit less money in a few hours . '' Then they went away , and in a little while we heard them `` whishing '' up the sheep . George closed the gate , and we both waited until they came up .