About three o'clock in the morning
But they knew the danger was still to be apprehended from the cottonwoods , and despite the long stillness they never ceased to watch with every faculty they could bring to bear . The dip in which the horses and mules stood was only a short distance from the little fortification and unless the Sioux in attacking came very near their bullets were likely to pass over the heads of the animals . The four , resolved not to abandon the horses and mules under any circumstances , nevertheless felt rather easy on that score . About three o'clock in the morning some shots were fired from the cottonwoods in the south , but they flew wild and the four did not reply . `` They came from a distance , '' said Boyd . `` They 're probably intended to provoke our fire and tell just where we 're lying . '' After a while more shots were fired , now from the north , but as they were obviously intended for the same purpose the four still remained quiet .