midnight
The Colonel rode out from the throng toward the level spot at the base of the ledge upon which the two were concealed . The horse he bestrode was a magnificent thoroughbred , whose fine action could not be concealed , even by his great fatigue . `` Go and find Mars , '' said the Colonel to an orderly , `` and tell him to build a fire against that rock there , and make us some coffee . We will not be able to get across the ford before midnight . '' The orderly rode off , and the Colonel dismounted and walked forward with the cramped gait of a man who had been long in the saddle . Still louder yells arose from the ford . A powerful horse , ridden by an officer who was trying to force his way across , had slipped on the river 's glassy bedstones , in the midst of a compact throng , and carried many with it down into the deep water below the crossing .