midnight
`` Maybe we have , '' reluctantly admitted Henry . But their dismay lasted only a little while . They were strong boys , used to the wilderness , and they did not fear even darkness and wandering through the woods . Moreover , they were sure that they should find Wareville long before midnight . They changed their course and continued the search . The rain ceased by and by , the clouds left the heavens , and the moon came out , but they saw nothing familiar about them . The great woods were dripping with water , and it was the only sound they heard , besides that made by themselves .