midnight
The majesty of the place and the silence acted upon that heart of iron , firm as the iron that had just tolled the call of time upon eternity . The minutes slowly passed , one after the other . Perhaps a cloud was passing between earth and moon , for Roland fancied that the shadows deepened . Then , as midnight approached , he seemed to hear a thousand confused , imperceptible sounds , coming no doubt from the nocturnal universe which wakes while the other sleeps . Nature permits no suspension of life , even for repose . She created her nocturnal world , even as she created her daily world , from the gnat which buzzes about the sleeper 's pillow to the lion prowling around the Arab 's bivouac . But Roland , the camp watcher , the sentinel of the desert , Roland , the hunter , the soldier , knew all those sounds ; they were powerless to disturb him .