midnight
`` I reckon I wo n't have to tell them to keep away , '' said he . Mr. Fanning started us off for the walk with pockets filled with sweetmeats , which we nibbled on the way back . We made a queer procession , Nick and I striding ahead to show the path , followed by the now servile chief , and after him the captain and his twenty men in single file . It was midnight when we saw the lights of Temple Bow through the trees . One of the tired overseers met us near the kitchen . When he perceived the Congo his face lighted up with rage , and he instinctively reached for his whip . But the chief stood before him , immovable , with arms folded , and a look on his face that meant danger .