midnight
But after what had seemed to Gus almost half the night , out came the suspect , stood a moment as before and started off ; it could be seen that he carried a small pack and a heavy stick in his hands . Then Gus was taken by surprise ; even his ready intuition failed him . He had made up his mind that he was in for a long hike to the not too distant mountains and that over this ground the work of keeping the other fellow in sight and of keeping out of sight himself was going to mean constant vigilance and keen stalking . But the midnight prowler swung around the cabin and with long , certain strides headed straight for the Hooper mansion . This was easier going for Gus than the open road toward the mountains would have been ; there was plenty of growth -- long grass , trees and bushes -- to keep between him and the other who never tried to seek shelter , nor hardly once looked behind him until the end of the broad driveway was reached . Gus knew the watchman must be about , though possibly half asleep . He also believed that the suspected youth , by the way he advanced , must know the ways of the watchman .