midnight
Moreas , by virtue of being the only person who knew the secret , was duly installed as leader of the expedition ; and , seeing that the day was too far advanced for them to make a start , he decided on remaining in the village that night , and proceeding as soon as it was light next morning . Being anxious to obtain as much information as possible concerning the track they were to follow for the next hundred miles , Moreas invited certain of the leading inhabitants to sup with them that night . This gave rise to a regular orgie . By midnight Moreas was decidedly intoxicated , while the two Spaniards were incapable of even sitting upright , so were stretched at full length upon the floor . Disgusted beyond measure with what he saw , Max left the room and passed into the verandah . There he found the Englishman , Bertram , smoking a cigar . He had taken a liking to the man , and cherished a belief that the feeling was reciprocated .