seven o'clock
At sundown the haze in the west had thickened somewhat . The air , however , remained warm , almost oppressive , and the sharp cold that usually fell at night was wanting . The Ventisquero Peaks were hidden by a mass of cloud . At seven o'clock the night crew began work , as ordinarily ; no wind was stirring and the steam that came from the horses ' nostrils was light . `` I 'm taking a little time to skip down to Sarita Creek and see if those girls are still there . If they took a notion to stick , they 'd try to do it , whether McDonnell sent after them or not . But I 'll pry them out .