midnight
` I wo n't be a fool and sit down , ' he muttered , ` if I sit down I shall be frozen , and the thieves will keep the horses . ' The hard snow fell faster and faster , whitening Maciek from head to foot ; the wind swept along the top of the hills , and as he listened to it , the man was glad that he had not been caught in the open . ` It 's quite warm here , ' he said , ` but all the same I 'm not going to sit down , I must keep on walking till the morning . ' But it was not yet midnight and Maciek 's legs began to refuse obedience , he could no longer push away the snow with his feet ; he stopped and stamped , but that was even more tiring ; he leant against the sides of the little cavity . The spot was excellent ; it was raised above the ravine , and the little hollow was just large enough to hold a man ; bushes sheltered it against the snow on all sides . But the crowning advantage was a jutting piece of rock , about the size of a stool . ` No , I wo n't sit down , ' he determined , ` I know I should get frozen ... .