midnight
Even the wild fowl in the river softened their raucous chatter and feigned the nightly farce of going to bed . Only the tribesmen increased their clamor , war-drums booming and voices raised in savage folk songs . But as the sun dipped they ceased their tumult . The rounded hush of midnight was complete . Stockard rose to his knees and peered over the logs . Once the child wailed in pain and disconcerted him . The mother bent over it , but it slept again .