midnight
This they at once lighted , and , carefully masking it , proceeded to rummage the place for such things as would be likely to prove useful to them . The place was almost like a museum in the variety of its contents ; and they were not long in confiscating a dozen fathoms of three-inch rope , the remains of a coil of ratline , a small ball of spun-yarn for seizings , a sledge-hammer , an axe apiece , a marline-spike , a few long spike-nails , which Lance decided would be capital tools for the ladies to use in picking out the nuggets , and a few other trifling matters . Then , hanging the lantern upon its nail once more , they extinguished it , and made the best of their way down the ladder again . A pause of a minute or so to look round and assure themselves that no midnight prowler was in their vicinity , and they set off at a brisk pace up the valley , lighted on their way by the clear soft effulgence of the star-studded sky . They were not long in reaching the shelter of the dense wood at the head of the valley ; and once fairly through it , they laid down the bulk of their booty where they could easily find it again , and , returning to the wood , selected a couple of young pines , which they quickly felled . The branches were soon lopped off , after which they cut from the tall slender trunks four spars about ten feet in length to serve for sheers . Shouldering these , they sought out the remainder of their belongings , and -- by this time pretty heavily loaded -- continued their way into and up the ravine , arriving at last , under Lance 's guidance , at the great rock which veiled the entrance to the cavern .