Midnight
His post was close to the river , so close that he walked upon the very edge of the bank , which was in places undermined by the swift current . This post had been cleared from the thick jungle . It was but a narrow piece , some two yards wide , and forty long , and this it was his duty to pace during his long watch , to guard that side of the island from a landing foe . Midnight had passed , and all was very still . There was a splash from time to time in the stream , telling of the movement of some reptile or great fish , and now and then , from the far-distant parts of the jungle across the water , he could hear the cry of some wild beast . Now and then he watched the fire-flies scintillating amidst the leaves , and thought of how different life was out in this far-off tropic land to that in dear old England . He had been thinking quite an hour without stirring ; but though his memory strayed here and there , his eyes were watchful , and he scanned from time to time the broad smooth surface of the stream in search of passing boats .