midnight
The men grew silent as they realised that the battle was on and that they were in the enemy 's country . Under the guidance of Jakey they tramped up the track , turned toward what appeared as a vertical cliff , and clambered slowly and painfully over loose rocks , through stunted evergreens , and at last stood upon the rolling surface of the mesa above . From here on , the path was less obstructed . It was near midnight when the dull roar of the mill announced the proximity of their goal . As silently as they had followed the tortuous trail , so silently each wrapped himself in his blankets and lay down to sleep . _ The Gathering to its Own _ Had Firmstone known of Hartwell 's move , which was to bring affairs to an immediate and definite crisis , his actions would have been shaped along different lines . But the only one who could have given this knowledge blindly withheld it until it was beyond his power to give .