two until
four in the morning
The moon shining that night was very bright , and , the heavens being starred in such brilliant splendor , they saw almost as well as by day . Will , to whom the romantic and majestic appealed with supreme force , began to find a certain enjoyment , or rather a mental uplift , in his extraordinary position . Before him was the great , black and living river , flowing steadily from the unknown into the unknown , to north and to south the rolling plains stretched away to infinity , and behind him , piercing the skies , rose the misty White Dome , a vast peak ; now friendly , that seemed to watch over these faithful comrades of his and himself . None of them slept until late , and they divided the remainder of the night into watches of two hours apiece , Will 's running from two until four in the morning . It was Brady whom he succeeded and it required some effort of the will for him to leap at once from his warm blankets and take the place of sentinel in the night , which was now cold , as usual on the plains . But , while averse to bloodshed , he had drilled himself into soldiership in action , always prompt , accurate and thorough , and in less than a minute he was walking up and down , rifle on shoulder , eyes open to everything that was to be seen and ears ready for everything that was to be heard . Stephen Brady , the philosopher , looked at him with approval .