midnight
As she paused at the end of the first verse she thought she heard an echo of it . It seemed that off to the north somewhere she had heard an eerie `` Ai-i-e ! '' But she listened attentively , bringing Magpie to a stop , and hearing it no more , concluded that she had been mistaken . Then she galloped on , still singing at the top of her voice from sheer happiness and good spirits , the other verses of the wolf song , and , although she paused frequently for the repetition of the cry , she did not hear it until she had sung the refrain for the last time : `` The race is o'er , the battle won , The wolf lies dying in the sun ; His midnight raids are of the past , He 's met the conquering foe at last . Well done , brave hounds ! Thy savage prey Was shrewdly caught and killed to-day . '' As she stopped and looked around her at the brown , rocky hills , once more she heard that shrill and heart-searching wail .