about midnight
`` Now take up the boats . '' Hidden among the reeds lay two skiffs , light affairs , each cut out of a piece of tree trunk : just such as would hold two men , and such as two men could carry on their shoulders over dry ground . The robber-band put the skiffs into the water and started one after the other on their way ; they went down until they reached the stream leading to the great dyke , by which they could punt down to the park of Lankadomb , just where the shooting-box was . It was about midnight when they reached it . On the right of Lankadomb the dogs were baying restlessly , but the hounds of the castle watchman did not answer them . They were sleeping . Some vagrant gypsy woman had fed them well that evening on poisoned swine-flesh .