noon
The sergeant stopped the small company about a quarter of a mile from the city of Bari . His detachment numbered only ten but they were well armed with short swords and blunderbusses and wore mail and steel helmets . On the face of it , they would have been a match for ten times this number of merchants . It was hardly noon but the sergeant had obviously already been at his wine flask . He leered at them . `` And where do you think you go ? '' The merchant who led the rest was a thin little man but he was richly robed and astride a heavy black mare .