nine o'clock
As he had anticipated , the hunt had begun at the first glimmer of light . For a time his heart beat violently ; however , nobody else passed , nothing whatever stirred the grass . The only sounds that reached him were faint ones from the Bois de Boulogne , the ring of a bicyclist 's bell , the thud of a horse 's hoofs , the rumble of carriage wheels . And time went by , nine o'clock came , and then ten o'clock . Since the rain had ceased falling , Salvat had not suffered so much from the cold , for he was wearing a thick overcoat which little Mathis had given him . But , on the other hand , hunger was coming back ; there was a burning sensation in his stomach , and leaden hoops seemed to be pressing against his ribs . He had eaten nothing for two days ; he had been starving already on the previous evening , when he had accepted a glass of beer at that tavern at Montmartre .