two o'clock
The night wore slowly away . Sleep we did not , for the insects were so troublesome that it seemed as though we inhaled them at every breath . They filled the air and dashed their dry wings in our faces while flitting over our heads , and their eternal buzzing was like the murmuring of a distant waterfall . I judged that it was near two o'clock , and at the period when sleep is the strongest , that my attention became riveted upon the singular movements of some animal which appeared to be feeding upon the withered grass which covered the plain . Sometimes it moved near enough to allow me to almost discern what it was , and then it would recede and be lost from sight for a few minutes , to again appear and approach nearer than at first . Rover appeared to be as deeply interested in the animal as myself , for his eyes glowed like balls of fire as he watched the movements of the strange nondescript , and appeared to wonder why I did not tell him to investigate the matter instead of sitting there with staring eyes . Presently a second and then a third animal came in sight , and their movements were like that of the first .