two o'clock
Twice both boys felt so numb with the cold that acting on Frank 's advice they crawled out from under the sheltering rock , and for a short time went through with exercises devised to send the blood leaping through their veins . It was by all odds the longest night either of the lads had ever experienced , in so far as their feelings were concerned . Twice the eager and impatient Will gave a false alarm , under the impression that he had glimpsed the dawn stealing in upon them . The first time Frank showed him by his watch how impossible this was , for it had hardly reached two o'clock . But all things must come to an end , bad as well as good ; and finally Frank himself detected the coming of dawn . It was not by sight that he knew this but through the twittering of birds in neighboring trees , where the poor things had hidden to escape the terrible storm . `` I guess that 's meant for a tune of thanksgiving and praise on account of having escaped death in all that wind and rain , '' Frank told himself as he listened to the faint songs taking form around him .