three o'clock in the
morning
`` About five this morning . '' Oh , that explained it . The people who were up at five were abed now . And the group round the tent whispered that Austin had done the unheard of -- had gone off and left the night gang at three o'clock in the morning . They had said so as the day shift turned out . `` But how 'd the young feller get such a thing as a horse ? '' `` Hired it off a stranger out from Dawson yesterday , '' Maudie answered shortly .