six o'clock
He had come by the portage path from the east , and had seen no marks of passage that were less than a week old . Our star led west . I baled what provision and ammunition we needed , loaded the canoes , and cached the furs and the balance of the stores at the edge of the forest . At six o'clock we were afloat . I led the way , and Pierre followed with the Englishman . This gave me space to think in silence . The sun sank red and clear , and we paddled from a colored dusk to a clear starlight .