five o'clock
The forest was never quite silent ; there were always cracklings and rustlings from its boughs and bushes . But in going the rounds these things went unheard in the noise of one 's own footsteps ; and one passed the quarters in which comrades were sleeping , and the stables , whose dimly-lighted windows showed small squares in the night , and one could indistinctly hear the rattling of the halter chains . When Vogt went into the dormitory from the fresh , pure , night air he thought at first that he would choke in the atmosphere laden with stale tobacco-smoke and foul odours ; but in the end he slept splendidly , despite his hard bed . At five o'clock he was again on sentry-go . It was still dark , but there was already movement in the kitchen and the stables . At the gate there was a delay ; the watch about to be relieved was nowhere to be found . The bombardier in charge cursed and swore unavailingly ; finally , he consented to the suggestion of the others and organised a search .