midnight
As on the previous occasion he told the others they could sit up if they chose , and keep both he and Allan company ; and just as had happened before all of them tried hard to accommodate ; but before one hour passed poor Bumpus had fallen by the wayside ; and then soon afterward Davy , Giraffe and Step Hen all found themselves unable to hold out . Since they had really undergone considerable in the way of privation and excitement of late , Thad did not have the heart to blame them . He believed that with the one faithful chum alongside , he could take as good care of the camp as though the whole six were on duty . The time dragged along until it must have been close on midnight ; and so far nothing out of the way had happened , though the sentries did not relax their vigilance on that account , for they were too good woodsmen to think of that . As the boat had been secured with all the available ropes , and a part of the engine dismantled in the bargain , neither of the scouts dreamed that the enemy would aim to strike a blow at them in that quarter . They could not carry the boat off ; and even granting that this were possible , it would be useless , since they had no means for running the same . Still another hour had crept along , and Thad was just beginning to congratulate himself on the way the night was passing , when without the least , warning there came a sudden flash of light down in the rocky berth where the boat lay ; immediately succeeded by a deafening crash .