about six o'clock in the evening
But one thing was very certain , and that was that the deed must be done at night , and not at daybreak , when the victim was being led to the sacrifice . Then human aid would be powerless to save her . So the party waited till night . At about six o'clock in the evening it would be dark , and then they would make a reconnaissance . The last cries of the fakirs would by that time be hushed . The Hindoos would by that time , according to custom , be wrapped in the intoxicating arms of `` bang '' -- liquid opium mixed with hemp ; and it would be possible to glide past them into the temple . The whole party , guided by the Parsee , then advanced stealthily through the forest .