midnight before
He had feared that Sachigo might have left some trace of his ambush behind . But the St. Pierres had discovered nothing , and could give only one reason for the burning pine on the summit of the mountain . They agreed that Indians had fired it to frighten moose from a thick cover to the south and west , and that their hunt had been a failure . It was midnight before Philip relaxed his caution , which he maintained until then in spite of his belief that Thorpe 's men , under Blake , had met a quick finish at the hands of Sachigo and his ambushed braves . His men left for their cabins , with the exception of Cassidy , whom he asked to spend the remainder of the night in one of the office bunks . Alone he went in to prepare Pierre for his last journey to Fort o ' God . A lamp was burning low beside the bunk in which Pierre lay .