midnight
Here , where no one could pursue him , he bowed his head upon his horse 's neck . And the horse seemed to know that his master was sleeping , for he did not shake himself once , even to rid himself of the crowds of biting , sucking insects that preyed upon his skin , knowing that such a motion would wake his master . As the mare broke through a clump of marsh-willows , in the darkness of the willow forest , little dancing fire-flies came before her in scores , leaping from grass to grass , from tree to tree , dissolving one into the other , then leaping apart and dancing alone ; their flames assumed a pale , lustreless brilliance in the darkness , like some fire of mystery or the burning gases of some moldering corpses . The mare merely snorted at the sight of these flickering midnight flames ; surely she had often met them , in journeys across the marsh , and already knew their caprices : how they lurked about the living animals , how they ran after her if she passed before them , how they fluttered around , how they danced beside her continuously , how they leaped across above her head , how they strove to lead her astray from the right path . There they were darting around the heads of horse and horseman as if they were burning night-moths ; one lighted upon the horseman 's hat , and swayed with it , as he nodded his head . The steed snorted and breathed hard upon those living lights . But the snorting awakened the rider .