noon
I happened to be carrying the grip , and that helped a bit . Somebody 's head got in the way of its swings , and I guess the guy has n't forgotten it yet . Then I slipped through their fingers -- I 'll never tell you how ; it was black as pitch , that night -- and beat it blind . I 'd lost my flashlamp and had no more idea where I was heading than an owl at noon of a sunny day . But they -- the Popinot outfit -- seemed to be able to see in the dark all right ; or else I was looney with fright . Every once in a while somebody or something would make a pass at me in the night , and I 'd duck and double and run another way . `` After a while I found myself climbing a steep , rocky slope , and guessed it must be the cliff behind the château .