midnight
The bare thought of such a thing made me start up , and again set forth at full speed . For what I knew to the contrary , I had both wolves and Indians following me . The wolves were gaining on me , that was certain . I could distinguish the yelps and barks through the still midnight . They might yet be some way off . I tried to pierce through the gloom ahead in the hopes of seeing some clump of trees rising out of the snowy plain in which I might take shelter . On I ran .