midnight
It will be the more bitter for them at the last ! '' `` No , '' said the chief , grinning ; `` it is as death to the palefaces to keep silence . But they shall have time to talk at the last . '' Throughout the long journey , which was continued till midnight under the strong light of a moon just at the full , the lovers held no converse save in the mute language of eye and gesture , and that only during the rough marches from one lake to another . The greater part of the journey was by canoe . At night they were lashed to trees some way apart , and separated by the camp-fire . Crewe dared not address a word to Margaret lest he should anger his captors into doing him some injury that might lessen his powers of thought or action , and the girl , seeing that no immediate gain could be had from speech , dreaded to be smitten on the mouth in a way that might disfigure her in her lover 's eyes .