midnight
before
The dream of the centuries had become a reality through the skill and resolution with which the sons of Uncle Sam had tackled the big ditch . It may be guessed how anxious all of us were to get ashore . There was little sleep aboard the _ Argos _ that night . It was long past midnight before any of us left the deck . The truth is that the yacht had become a prison to us just as it had to Bothwell . The thought of a few days on land , where we need not watch every moment to keep our throats from being slit , was an enormous relief . But Blythe was taking no chances with the vessel .