midnight
Do you know anything of Sagpang ? '' The old man then told him about the kidnapping of Cabesang Tales . Basilio became thoughtful and said nothing more -- his appetite had completely left him . When the bells began their chimes for the midnight mass and those who preferred a good sleep to fiestas and ceremonies arose grumbling at the noise and movement , Basilio cautiously left the house , took two or three turns through the streets to see that he was not watched or followed , and then made his way by unfrequented paths to the road that led to the ancient wood of the Ibarras , which had been acquired by Capitan Tiago when their property was confiscated and sold . As Christmas fell under the waning moon that year , the place was wrapped in darkness . The chimes had ceased , and only the tolling sounded through the darkness of the night amid the murmur of the breeze-stirred branches and the measured roar of the waves on the neighboring lake , like the deep respiration of nature sunk in profound sleep . Awed by the time and place , the youth moved along with his head down , as if endeavoring to see through the darkness .