about three in the afternoon
This being done , Julius gave way on the oars , and the great house and its surroundings were quickly left out of sight . Then Marcy threw open his coat and drew his holsters in front of him , so that he could easily lay hold of the revolvers that were in them . He did not think he would have any trouble with his prisoner , or that he would be called upon to defend himself against the Home Guards ; but he was prepared for an emergency . It was a long and tedious journey that Marcy had undertaken , for there was no one to talk to , and nothing to see that he had not seen a hundred times before ; but it was brought to an end about three in the afternoon , when the strong current in the Roanoke River carried his boat within sight of a Union sentry on the bank . The latter faced them promptly , brought his piece to `` arms port , '' and called out : '' _ Who _ comes there ? '' `` Two friends with a rebel prisoner , '' replied Marcy ; and , to his intense amazement , Hanson twisted himself around on his seat , and flatly contradicted him by saying : `` Taint so , Mister Soldier . It 's two rebels with a Union prisoner .