about ten o'clock
Every minute detail of the scheme was discussed and arranged ; and then , as the sun set , the boys lit a fire in a nullah and boiled some rice , and ate their food with lighter hearts than they had done since they left Sandynugghur , for the knowledge that their father had escaped death had lifted a heavy burden from their hearts . As to the danger of the expedition that they were about to undertake , with the happy recklessness of boys they thought but little of it . Across the plain they could see the campfires , but as the evening went on these gradually died away , and the sounds which had come faintly across the still night air ceased altogether . As patiently as might be , they waited until they guessed that it must be about ten o'clock . The night was , for the country , cold -- a favorable circumstance , as the natives , who are very chilly , would be less likely to leave their tents if they felt restless . The moon was now half full and shining brightly , giving a light with which the boys could well have dispensed . `` Now , Dick , old boy , let 's be moving .