midnight
In the course of an hour they had a fire glowing at the centre of the barabbara , which now would otherwise have been quite dark . The smoke did not seriously trouble them after they had learned to keep down low on the floor . Each unrolled his blankets on the deep , sweet-scented grass near-by the fire . Thus , alone and far from home , in a situation stranger than any of them had ever fancied himself about to see , they lay about the fire at midnight of the short Alaskan darkness . Each without instruction took his rifle from its case and put it on the blankets beside him , taking care that it was loaded . Outside they could hear the calls of flying birds ; otherwise deep silence reigned . They felt , although they could not see , the presence of the surrounding walls of the great white mountains .