midnight
At least he told himself so , and set his face toward Churchill . To-night the stars and the moon seemed to be more than usually brilliant . About him the great masses of rock , the tumbling surf , the edge of the forest , and the Bay itself were illumined as if by the light of a softly radiant day . He looked at his watch and found that it was past midnight . He had been up since dawn , and yet he felt no touch of fatigue , no need of sleep . He took off his cap and walked bareheaded in the mellow light , his moccasined feet falling lightly , his eyes alert to all that this wonderful night world might hold for him . Ahead of him rose a giant mass of rock , worn smooth and slippery by the water dashed against it in the crashing storms of countless centuries , and this he climbed , panting when he reached the top .