ten o'clock
Or if there was a moon , then the dark clouds hid it . No doubt Mahmoud thought he had a night after his own heart for the purpose of overwhelming our little force ; for how should he know that we were ready for the massed battalions forming to storm the gorge again . At a little after eight o'clock Mahmoud resumed the offensive with his artillery , and a messenger that Monty sent down to watch returned and reported the shells all bursting wild , with Rustum Khan 's men taking careful cover in the ditches they had zigzagged down the whole face of the ramp . An hour later the Turk 's infantry was reported moving , and shortly before ten o'clock we heard the opening rattle of Rustum Khan 's stinging defense . There was intended to be no deception about that part of our arrangements ; nor was there . The oncoming enemy was met with a hail of destruction that checked and withered his ranks , and made the succeeding companies only too willing to turn at the castle road instead of struggling straight forward . Nor was the turn accomplished without further loss ; for our Zeitoonli , still entrenched on the flank of the pass , loosed a murderous storm of lead through the dark that swept every inch of the open castle road , and the turn became a shambles .