midnight
I could see from where I lay a blazing fire without , while in its glow along the side of the tent there was cast the black shadow of a sentinel , as he paced back and forth along his beat . So clear were the shaded lines I was able to trace his gun , and even the peculiar turn-up to the visor of his forage-cap . The pain I had experienced earlier in the day grew less acute , and at last I also fell asleep . It must have been midnight , possibly even later , when a number of rapid shots fired outside the tent aroused me , and I heard many voices shouting , mingled with the tread of horses ' feet . The night-watch had already disappeared , and the startled inmates of the tent were in a state of intense confusion . As I lifted myself slightly , dazed by the sudden uproar and eager to learn its cause , the tent-flap , which had been lowered to exclude the cold night air , was hastily jerked aside , and a man stepped within , casting one rapid glance about that dim interior . The flaring lamp overhead revealed to me a short , heavy-set figure , clad in a gray uniform .