about five in
the afternoon
Throughout the day parties of coloured people might have been seen hurrying to the upper part of the city : women with terror written on their faces , some with babes in their arms and children at their side , hastening to some temporary place of refuge , in company with men who were bending beneath the weight of household goods . Mr. Walters had converted his house into a temporary fortress : the shutters of the upper windows had been loop-holed , double bars had been placed across the doors and windows on the ground floor , carpets had been taken up , superfluous furniture removed , and an air of thorough preparation imparted . A few of Mr. Walters 's male friends had volunteered their aid in defence of his house , and their services had been accepted . Mr. Ellis , whose house was quite indefensible -LRB- it being situated in a neighbourhood swarming with the class of which the mob was composed -RRB- , had decided on bringing his family to the house of Mr. Walters , and sharing with him the fortunes of the night , his wife and daughters having declared they would feel as safe there as elsewhere ; and , accordingly , about five in the afternoon , Mrs. Ellis came up , accompanied by Kinch and the girls . Caddy and Kinch , who brought up the rear , seemed very solicitous respecting the safety of a package that the latter bore in his arms . `` What have you there ? '' asked Mr. Walters , with a smile ; `` it must be powder , or some other explosive matter , you take such wonderful pains for its preservation .