midnight
Chapter XLVII . The Grotto of Locmaria . The cavern of Locmaria was sufficiently distant from the mole to render it necessary for our friends to husband their strength in order to reach it . Besides , night was advancing ; midnight had struck at the fort . Porthos and Aramis were loaded with money and arms . They walked , then , across the heath , which stretched between the mole and the cavern , listening to every noise , in order better to avoid an ambush . From time to time , on the road which they had carefully left on their left , passed fugitives coming from the interior , at the news of the landing of the royal troops .