midnight
Yet he knew the necessity of it . None better . So he executed it , as he would have executed any other operation necessary in loyalty to the men supporting him and his purpose . It was midnight when the paddles dipped again for the return to the camp , and the return journey was made under a light which had no origin in any of the heavenly bodies , nor in the fantastic measure danced by the brilliant northern lights . It was the blaze of a forest fire which lit the gorge from end to end , and filled the air with a ruddy fog of smoke , which reeked in the nostrils and set throats choking . It had been deliberately planned . The wind was favorable for safety and success .