midnight
Soon there was the aroma of chocolate in the little cooking shelter , and the girls sat around , in various picturesque and comfortable attitudes , sipping the warm beverage and nibbling the crisp crackers . Then gradually their nerves quieted down , and even Grace , more aroused than any of the others , began to feel drowsy . One by one they again sought their cots , and finally a series of deep breathings told of much-needed sleep . It must have been long after midnight when Betty was suddenly aroused by a queer noise . She had slept heavily , and at first she was not fully aware of her surroundings , nor what had awakened her . Then she became conscious of a curious heavy breathing , as of some animal . She sat up in alarm , her heart pounding furiously .