midnight
To this Cuttance vouchsafed no reply , but , plucking the weapon from the man , he tossed it far into the sea , and , without further remark , walked towards the fishing village , followed by his men . By this time the thunder and rain had abated considerably , but the gale blew with increased violence , and , as there were neither moon nor stars , the darkness was so intense that men less acquainted with the locality would have been obliged to proceed with caution . But the smugglers knew every foot of the ground between the Lizard and the Land 's End , and they advanced with rapid strides until they reached the low wall that encompassed , but could not be said to guard , old Mr Hitchin 's garden-plot . The hour was suited for deeds of darkness , being a little after midnight , and the noise of the gale favoured the burglars , who leaped the wall with ease and approached the back of the cottage . In ordinary circumstances Hitchin would have been in bed , and Cuttance knew his habits sufficiently to be aware of this ; his surprise , therefore , was great when he found lights burning , and greater still when , peeping through a chink of the window-shutter , he observed two stout fellows seated at the old man 's table . Charles Tregarthen he had never seen before , and , as Oliver Trembath sat with his back to the window , he could not recognise him . `` There 's company wi ' the owld man , '' said Cuttance , returning to his comrades ; `` two men , young and stout , but we do knaw how to manage they ! ''