ten o'clock
There was , however , but little talk , for the noise of the tempest was so great , that it was necessary to raise the voice almost to a shout to be heard , and it was not long before they were all asleep . For hours there was no stir in the shelter , save when a horse pawed the ground impatiently , or when Hunting Dog rose two or three times to put fresh sticks on the fire . It seemed to Tom when he woke that it ought to be nearly morning . He took out his watch , and by the light of the fire made out to his surprise that it was but ten o'clock . The turmoil of the wind seemed to him to be as loud as before , and he pulled the blankets over his shoulder again and was soon sound asleep . When he next woke , it was with the sensation of coldness in the face , and sitting up he saw that the blankets and the ground were covered with a thick coating of fine snow . There was a faint light in addition to that given by the embers of the fire , and he knew that morning was breaking .