About the
hour of one o'clock in the morning
The father and the younger sons planted themselves at one of the window 's facing the front . The elder son and the family tutor , a young man of the neighborhood , who would not abandon them in their hour of danger , took their stand at the window which looked directly at the narrow strong door of the wall which inclosed the house . The two daughters , with their mother , took up their places between the two windows , under cover of the wall , and having been well practiced for som , weeks previous , stood prepared to load and hand up the arms to their heroes when the occasion should arrive . About the hour of one o'clock in the morning , the barking of dogs , and an odd random shot , gave the Bolands certain and unmistakable notice that their hour of terror was at hand . And soon they could hear a monotonous sound of moving feet and suppressed voices , under the outer walls of their fortress . A horn was then sounded , and the besieged were called upon to open their gates and surrender at discretion . But no answer was received from within , where all was total darkness and apparent inactivity .