about eleven o'clock
The defenders were armed with light sticks , and it was understood that these were to be used only if the enemy refused to abide by Nature 's weapons . All the mines in the vicinity of Waddy worked short-handed on the day of the Great Goat Riot ; the men , under the command of Captain Peterson , were sitting in bands , hidden from view in the quarries , smoking , discussing the situation , and patiently awaiting the attack . They did not wait in vain . At about eleven o'clock a scout came in with the intelligence that a large body was advancing in irregular order through Wilson 's paddock , and a quarter of an hour later the men of Cow Flat swarmed out of the bush and over the fence and charged Waddy at a trot . ` Toe the scratch , men ! ' yelled Peterson ; and the defenders of Waddy climbed out of the holes and presently turned a solid front to the enemy . The Cow Flat commander , who had expected to take the place by surprise , wavered at the sight of organised opposition and called a halt at the other edge of the quarries ; and invaders and besieged faced each other across the broken ground while the Cow Flat leaders held a council of war .