six o'clock in the
morning
Some went out doors , some to the barracks , some to the school rooms . It was `` off-time , '' and without much assistance from Mr. Gault , who attempted to introduce him , he made the acquaintance of half the students in the Institute . At nine o'clock the sound of the drum rolled through the halls , and the boys all retired . Richard slept very well , and was attending to the business of sleeping with great pertinacity , when the reveille sounded at six o'clock in the morning . He did not feel much like getting up , and though the other boys in Barrack B instantly jumped out of bed , he did not heed the summons . It went against his grain to get up at the sound of a drum , or of a bell ; not that he cared to lie in bed any longer , but the principle of the thing was utterly objectionable . `` Come , Grant , '' said the boy who occupied one of the beds next to him , in a kind and friendly tone , `` it 's time to turn out . ''