midnight
The Pithecanthropus Silent as the shadows through which he moved , the great beast slunk through the midnight jungle , his yellow-green eyes round and staring , his sinewy tail undulating behind him , his head lowered and flattened , and every muscle vibrant to the thrill of the hunt . The jungle moon dappled an occasional clearing which the great cat was always careful to avoid . Though he moved through thick verdure across a carpet of innumerable twigs , broken branches , and leaves , his passing gave forth no sound that might have been apprehended by dull human ears . Apparently less cautious was the hunted thing moving even as silently as the lion a hundred paces ahead of the tawny carnivore , for instead of skirting the moon-splashed natural clearings it passed directly across them , and by the tortuous record of its spoor it might indeed be guessed that it sought these avenues of least resistance , as well it might , since , unlike its grim stalker , it walked erect upon two feet -- it walked upon two feet and was hairless except for a black thatch upon its head ; its arms were well shaped and muscular ; its hands powerful and slender with long tapering fingers and thumbs reaching almost to the first joint of the index fingers .