eight
o'clock
_ Chapter Twelve _ The day rose and flooded the land with its fuller life . All through the settlement the Post Indians and half-breeds set about their tasks . Some aided Sarnier with his calking of the bateaux ; some worked in the fields ; some mended or constructed in the different shops . At eight o'clock the bell rang again , and they ate breakfast . Then a group of seven , armed with muzzle-loading `` trade-guns '' bound in brass , set out for the marshes in hopes of geese . For the flight was arriving , and the Hudson Bay man knows very well the flavor of goose-flesh , smoked , salted , and barrelled . Now the _ voyageurs _ began to stroll into the sun .