ten o'clock at night
It are possible , of course , that they 're there , but I reckon not . I expect they 've been waiting , ever since they gave up the attack , in hopes that the young uns would come back ; but now , as they see that we 're keeping up a fire to tell them as how they 're still round us , they 've given it up and gone . When it gets dark to-night I 'll go out and scout round . '' At ten o'clock at night Pearson dropped lightly from the stockade on the side opposite to the gate , as he knew that , if the Indians were there , this would be the point that they would be watching ; then , crawling upon his stomach , he made his way slowly down to the lake . Entering the water and stooping low , he waded along the edge of the bushes for a distance of a mile ; then he left the water and struck into the forest . Every few minutes he could hear the discharge of the rifles at the house ; but , as before , no answering shots were heard . Treading very cautiously , he made a wide _ détour _ and then came down again on the clearing at the end furthest from the lake , where the Indians had been last seen moving about .