midnight
Speaking now and then to the animal , patting his neck and shoulder , or playfully pinching the glossy skin , he rode onward for several hours . He was not in need of sleep , and Whirlwind had been given nearly a whole day of rest . It was no task therefore for either to maintain the journey . Deerfoot 's intention was to ride until midnight , when the two would rest , resuming their journey at sunrise and pushing hard until they reached the villages of the Blackfeet . It was late when the stallion splashed through a small brook at the foot of a ridge , where Deerfoot decided to dismount for the remainder of the night . Slipping from the back of the horse he pressed his ear to the earth , but heard nothing to cause him disquiet . If the Assiniboines were hunting for him they were too far off to cause concern .