midnight
Their great success in capturing so many beavers meant a large additional weight on their sleds . However , against that was the fact that their vigorous appetites had very considerably reduced the weight of their outfit , and in addition their dogs had , since they left home , devoured about a thousand-weight of fish . Forty-seven beavers weigh a good deal when they have to be drawn many scores of miles on dog-sleds , and so , in spite of the lightened loads , it was no easy matter to arrange them on the sleds . That they might be ready to make the desired start in good time , it was thought best that Mr Ross and the boys should go to bed in their camp outfit as has been described , while the men should load up the sleds as far as possible , just leaving sufficient room in the deerskin wrappings for the packing away of the bedding and the other essentials required at the midnight meal . This meant that the Indians would have at least two hours ' less sleep than the whites . This would be no unusual occurrence . As a general thing the Indians sleep very little when travelling , in summer or winter .