about twelve o'clock
They seemed maddened by hunger , for when one of their number fell after making a mighty upward bound , the pack was on him in a minute , and before the horrified eyes of Joe , they tore their mate to pieces and in ten minutes there was neither hide nor hair of him to be seen . `` Joe now had to bind up his leg as best he could . He bound the rags of his trouser leg around so that it kept out the cold pretty well . This excitement kept him up for some time , but about twelve o'clock Joe felt that the cold was sure to get the better of him if he did not do something . He thereupon undid the leather strap that he used ordinarily to carry his gun over his back when not in use . This strap , together with his belt , made a strap sufficiently long so that he was able to bind himself to the tree . He then felt easier , for he knew that at least , even though he went to sleep , that he would run no risk of falling down as prey for the murderous pack below .