ten o'clock
It was now long after dark and , while the storm had abated somewhat , there was still a heavy wind and plenty of snow . For hours the boys had been simply following the compass . They had not caught the roar of the Grand Rapids and felt themselves practically lost . By their calculation , and allowing for a head wind , they had concluded that they would have covered the three hundred miles by ten o'clock . If at that time they could make out no signal light , they had decided to come down on the upland and go into camp for the night . Their calculation was purely a guess but it was not a bad one . Some time after half past nine both boys made out in the far eastern sky a soft glow .