midnight
After this the party sought the tents , where , on blankets spread on the ground , covered by sheets , and with rough pillows under their heads , each member of the party sought repose . In one end of the tent occupied by Gerald and Jim slept old Ephraim , the watch-dog of the camp , who prided himself that no suspicious sound , however slight , could escape his keen ears in the night time . The slumber of the party was undisturbed during the early hours of the night , as , with the tent flaps thrown back , to allow the clear passage of the cool breeze off the valley , the occupants of both tents slept soundly . Sometime after midnight , however , the slumber of all was broken by a most startling incident . It was a cry of distress coming out of the night from farther down the mountainside -- a cry so appealing in its pathos that Ephraim was on his feet , listening with open mouth , before the echoes had died away . Then , as he roused Gerald and Jim , the cry came again , reverberating over the mountain in trembling , piteous tones : `` Oh , help me ! Help me !