ten o'clock at night
Being new to the silent North , they had yet to learn the virtue of filling the long days with small , self-imposed tasks . They had no resources , excepting a couple of dog-eared magazines -- of which they knew every word by heart , even to the advertisements -- and a pack of cards . There was no zest in the cards , because all their cash had been put into a common fund at the start of the expedition , and they had nothing to wager . It was ten o'clock at night , and they were loafing indoors . Above the high tops of the pines the sky was still bright , but it was night in the cabin . They were lighted by the fire and by a stable lamp on the table . They had gradually fallen into the habit of lying abed late , and consequently they could not sleep before midnight .