midnight
He had taken no rest after all his long previous day of toil , yet to sleep and invite disaster up the trail was quite impossible . `` We shall have to divide the night , '' said Elaine , with her customary practical courage . `` We have simply got to be sensible to preserve our strength in case we have to fight . '' Grenville consented to give her the watch till midnight . The island 's wail in the late afternoon had seemed no fainter than that of the previous day . He was quite convinced there would be no night attack . Yet he stretched a cord across the trail that must pull at his arm and so give an alarm should anyone enter at his gate .