about three in the morning
Possibly some of those moonshiner videttes must have started up , wondering what on earth could be occurring in the camp of the Boy Scouts . There was little chance that any of the boys would get a wink of sleep during the remainder of that eventful night . Long did they sit there by the revived fire , watching Mr. Quail drink his coffee , cup after cup , and listening to the strangest story they had ever heard . Even when finally , along about three in the morning , they were induced to lie down upon their various beds of leaves and grass , sleep must have utterly refused to visit their eyes , save in the case of Bumpus himself ; and he could drop into slumber in almost `` any old position , even if he were hanging by his heels , '' as Giraffe used to say . And so the night passed away , and another morning found them , red-eyed but joyful beyond compare ; for they felt that their great hike among the mountains had turned out to be the finest thing possible , both for their comrade , Bob , and themselves . THE mountain hike had come to an end . One and all , the Boy Scouts declared that they had seen about enough of this wild country of the Blue Ridge , and would be glad to turn their steps toward dear old Cranford .