midnight
Lest he be taken for a _ franc-tireur _ he was entirely unarmed , and he wore a thick blue blouse , gray trousers equally thick , and heavy boots . He also carried , carefully concealed about his person , a supply of gold and German notes , although there would not be much use for money in that region of the dragon 's teeth into which he was venturing . He re-crossed the little river on the same high-arched bridge by which he had come , skirted the hospital camp , and then bore off toward the east . It was past midnight , the skies were free from snow , but there were many low , hovering clouds which suited his purpose . He was still back of the French lines , but his pass would take him through them at any time he wished . The problem was how to pass those of Germany , and the difficulty was very great , because for a long distance here the hostile trenches were only three or four hundred yards apart . He discerned to the eastward a dim line of hills which , as he knew , rose farther on into mountains , and it occurred to him that he might find it easier to get through in rough country than in the region of low , rounded hills , where he now stood .