midnight
The darkness was intense and the surface of the lake showed through it , only a fitful gray . The cliff behind him was now a black bank , and its crest could not be seen at all . He was eager to go , but he still used the patience so necessary in the wilderness , knowing that the longer he waited the less likely he was to meet the band of Tandakora . He lay down in a thicket of tall grass and bushes , resolved not to start before midnight , and he felt so much at peace that before he knew he was going to sleep he was sleeping . When he awoke he felt a little dismay at first , but it was soon gone . After all , he had passed the time of waiting in the easiest way , and no enemy had come . The moon and stars were not to be seen , but instinct told him that it was not beyond midnight .