midnight
Want of sleep exhausted her , dread of what the morrow might bring forth crushed her strong spirit . She began to break down , knowing that the hour was near when she and her father must die together . Once , as she slept awhile at his side , being wakened by his groaning , Benita looked at her watch . It was midnight . She rose , and going to the embers of the little fire , warmed up some of her biltong broth which she poured into a tin pannikin . With difficulty she forced him to swallow a few mouthfuls of it , then , feeling a sudden weakness , drank the rest herself . It gave her power to think , and her father dozed off into an uneasy sleep .