midnight
The night journey of Mr. Renwick to the Bosnian border with the man in black was one long chapter of accidents and delays . But Herr Linke commanded the situation . He had taken care not to return the Englishman 's weapon , and there was nothing for Renwick to do but sit in silence by the side of the melancholy Colossus , and pray for an opportunity which never came , for Linke had a watchful eye and sat in the tonneau of the machine . Toward midnight they reached Vinkovcze , where they had supper , and resumed their leisurely journey with a new supply of petrol , which only seemed to increase the trouble in the carburetor . It was at this time that an uncontrollable drowsiness fell upon Renwick . He struggled against it but at last realized that in spite of himself sleep was slowly overpowering him . As in a haze he saw the huge figure of Linke beside him lean over , smiling , while a deep voice which seemed to come from a distance rumbled calmly , `` You are very sleepy , Herr Renwick ? ''