midnight
The barge , now clear , swung with the current stern foremost ; the sailors got to their oars , and gradually drew their craft away from the shore . A little farther from the landing , those on deck , looking upstream , enjoyed an uninterrupted view of the magnificent conflagration . The huge stone Castle seemed to glow white hot . The roof had fallen in , and a seething furnace reddened the midnight sky . Like a flaming torch the great tower roared to the heavens . The whole hilltop resembled the crater of an active volcano . Timber floors and wooden partitions , long seasoned , proved excellent material for the incendiaries , and even the stones were crumbling away , falling into the gulf of fire , sending up a dazzling eruption of sparks , as section after section tumbled into this earthly Hades .