midnight
When he had eaten enough he fastened the body of the bear , now in several portions , on hooks high upon the walls , hooks which evidently had been placed there by the former owner of the hut for this very purpose . Then , sure that the savor of the food would draw other wild animals , he brought one of the stepping stones and placed it on the inside of the door . The door could not be pushed aside without arousing him , and , secure in the knowledge , he went to sleep before the coals . Henry awoke only once , and that was about half way between midnight and morning , when his senses , never still entirely , even in sleep , warned him that something was at the door . He rose cautiously upon his arm , saw a dark muzzle at the crevice , and behind it a pair of yellow , gleaming eyes . He knew at once that it was a panther , probably living in the swamp and drawn by the food . It must be very hungry to dare thus the smell of man .