midnight
The fire fought a losing battle , and at last died away , while the frost penetrated the mossy chinks between the logs and chilled the inner atmosphere . The dogs outside ceased their howling , and , curled up in the snow , dreamed of salmon-stocked heavens where dog-drivers and kindred task-masters were not . Within , the sailor lay like a log , while his host tossed restlessly about , the victim of strange fantasies . As midnight drew near he suddenly threw off the blankets and got up . It was remarkable that he could do what he then did without ever striking a light . Perhaps it was because of the darkness that he kept his eyes shut , and perhaps it was for fear he would see the terrible gash on the cheek of his visitor ; but , be this as it may , it is a fact that , unseeing , he opened his ammunition box , put a heavy charge into the muzzle of the shotgun without spilling a particle , rammed it down with double wads , and then put everything away and got back into bed . Just as daylight laid its steel-gray fingers on the parchment window , Jacob Kent awoke .