one o'clock
It was the old familiar signal which they had used many a time when off on their little hunting expeditions , and either , hearing it , could not mistake its source . But this grew wearisome at last , and he leaned back against a tree , looking out upon the moonlit valley beyond , where nothing as yet had caught his eye that looked in the least suspicious , and where everything still appeared as silent as a graveyard . `` I do n't believe there are any Indians within fifty miles , '' he muttered , impatiently ; `` and yet we must have three or four men on the look-out till morning . Well , I s ` pose it 's the only safe thing to do , and I 'm bound to stick it out till one o'clock . It must be near midnight now , and if Mickey should come around here , an hour from now , and find me asleep , I never would hear the last of it . '' He felt very much like sitting down upon the ground , but he knew if he did that he would be sure to fall asleep , while , as long as he kept his feet , he was sure to retain his senses . When disposed to become too drowsy , a sudden giving away at the knees recalled him so vigorously , that it was a considerable time before the drowsiness crept over him again .