ten o'clock
Enviously the soldiers eyed the artisans . Not for weeks could their paymaster be looked for , while the funds for the civilians might reach them on the morrow , provided Red Cloud did not interfere . He could n't and would n't , said the commander , because he and his braves were all off to the southeast , hunting buffalo . He could and might , said Michel that night at ten o'clock , after taps had sent the garrison to bed , for by the time he left Frayne there were other riders up from Gate City and all that garrison had learned that Lieutenant Dean was taking something like fifty thousand dollars in greenbacks up to the Gap , with only ten men to guard it , and Major Burleigh was wild with anxiety lest he should n't get through , and had been nearly crazy since he heard of Dean 's narrow escape at Cañon Springs . The officer of the day who heard this story took it , with the teller , to the post commander , and that veteran sat up late and cross-questioned long . Michel 's English might be broken , but not his statement . The last arrival at Frayne before he left was one of Major Burleigh 's own men from Gate City .