midnight
The tempest still played around us , and the water rose higher and higher . This was exactly what we wished for ; and we had the satisfaction of seeing the flood increase to such a height that , as Rube assured us , it could not subside for hours . It was then resolved that we should continue our journey . It was near midnight when we drew our pickets and rode off . The rain had partially blinded the trail made by El Sol and his party , but the men who now followed it were not much used to guide-posts , and Rube , acting as leader , lifted it at a trot . At intervals the flashes of lightning showed the mule tracks in the mud , and the white peak that beckoned us in the distance . We travelled all night .