about midnight
`` Yes , Baas , '' answered Hans humbly , as he snatched the tobacco and wriggled away like a worm . Then I went to talk with Robertson . The end of it was that within an hour we were creeping across that valley towards the spot where I had seen the line of smoke rising against the twilight sky . Somewhere about midnight we reached the neighbourhood of this place . How near or how far we were from it , we could not tell since the moon was invisible , as of course the smoke was in the dark . Now the question was , what should we do ? Obviously there would be enormous advantages in a night attack , or at least in locating the enemy , so that it might be carried out at dawn before he marched .