one o'clock
He was himself fully convinced that he had outgrown the trouble ; but Max believed it was liable to crop up again under certain conditions favorable to its growth , especially if his mind should happen to be worried . In this case it could hardly be that , because he had not taken his gun along , as he might have done , if possessed by the idea that lions were prowling near , and that it was his duty , as the guardian self-appointed of the camp , to go out and scare them away . Max noticed that the moon did not stay out all the time . It was pretty well up in the heavens by this time , and he figured from that it must be somewhere in the neighborhood of one o'clock ; for long ago Max had learned the useful woodsman way of telling time very closely by observing the passage of the stars , and the moon , across the blue canopy overhead . There were batches of clouds that from time to time drifted across the bright silvery face of the moon ; and when this occurred a period of half darkness was apt to ensue . But Max had no difficulty in keeping Steve in full view . This was rendered easy by the fact that the chum 's pajamas were of a light color , and could be readily seen against the darker background of the forest .