About midnight
Each would bring hooks and lines , and such provision as he could steal in the most dark and mysterious way -- as became outlaws . And before the afternoon was done , they had all managed to enjoy the sweet glory of spreading the fact that pretty soon the town would `` hear something . '' All who got this vague hint were cautioned to `` be mum and wait . '' About midnight Tom arrived with a boiled ham and a few trifles , and stopped in a dense undergrowth on a small bluff overlooking the meeting-place . It was starlight , and very still . The mighty river lay like an ocean at rest . Tom listened a moment , but no sound disturbed the quiet .