about two o'clock
`` I wonder if he has been looking after our rations ! '' The camp was astir with life and bustle . All day the men had been coming in , singly and in little groups , and the crowd and confusion were such that the officers made no pretense of punishing or even reprimanding them ; they accepted thankfully those who were so kind as to return and asked no questions . Captain Beaudoin had made his appearance only a short time before , and it was about two o'clock when Lieutenant Rochas had brought in his collection of stragglers , about one-third of the company strength . Now the ranks were nearly full once more . Some of the men were drunk , others had not been able to secure even a morsel of bread and were sinking from inanition ; again there had been no distribution of rations . Loubet , however , had discovered some cabbages in a neighboring garden , and cooked them after a fashion , but there was no salt or lard ; the empty stomachs continued to assert their claims .