midnight
It was impossible to tell where the two warriors now lay , and , if they undertook to go on , their figures would be disclosed at once by the brilliant moonshine . So they flattened themselves against the ground in the shadow of the bushes and waited patiently . The time seemed to Grosvenor to be forever , but he thrilled with the belief in coming combat . He still felt that he was in the best of all company for forest and midnight battle , and he did not fear the issue . Willet was hopeful that the skies would darken , but they did not do so . The persistent moon and a host of stars continued to shine down , flooding the forest with light , and he knew that if any one of them stood up a bullet would be his instant welcome . At last came the cry of the night bird , the note of the owl , as Tayoga had predicted , rising from a point to their right and somewhat behind them , but too far away for rifle shot .