one o'clock
Every night after dark he slipped out of town by the north road till he was on the open prairie , then swung round in a semicircle skirting the lights of the settlement . He had arranged a blind in the brush from which he could see the back of the Menendez `` soddy . '' Occasionally he comforted himself with a cautiously smoked cigarette , but mostly he lay patiently watching the trap that was to lure his prey . At one o'clock each morning he rose , returned on his beat , went to bed , and fell instantly asleep . On the fifth night there was a variation of the programme . It was between nine and ten o'clock that Jack heard the hoot of an owl . He sat up instantly , eyes and ears keyed for action .