one o'clock in the afternoon
We had the rack piled higher than before , with the Christmas trees and the boxes of lion 's - paw in the front end , and all those witches ' brooms stacked and lashed on at the rear . The load was actually fourteen feet high , yet far from heavy ; witches ' brooms are dry and light . A northwest wind , blowing in heavy gusts behind us , fairly pushed us along the road . We got on fast , baited our team at New Gloucester at one o'clock in the afternoon , and by dusk had reached Welch 's Tavern , eleven miles out of Portland . Here we put up for the night ; as our load was too bulky to draw into the barn , we were obliged to leave it in the yard outside , near the garden fence -- fifty yards , perhaps , from the tavern piazza . We had supper and were about to go to bed , when in came three fellows who had driven up from the city , on their way to hunt moose in Batchelder 's Grant . All three were in a hilarious mood ; they called for supper , and said that they meant to drive on to Ricker 's Tavern , at the Poland Spring .