midnight
`` I said that time pressed , Petko ; God be with you ! Farewell . '' The scout turned , stooped to kiss Giuana on her pale cheek , and before either could utter another word was gone . By midnight Dobri Petroff had made his rounds -- now as a carter gruffly and clumsily driving a cart and horse of which he had managed to possess himself ; anon as a stupid countryman belonging to the village on the height , noisily wanting to know why the Turks had robbed him of the said cart and horse , which he had conveniently tipped over a precipice , and vowing that he would carry his complaint against the army to the Sultan himself ; once he was fain to act the part of a drunk man , almost incapable of taking care of himself . During his perambulations he ran frequent risk of being shot by irascible Bashi-Bazouks or wearied Albanians ; was more than once looked on with suspicion , and frequently suffered rough treatment , but he acted his part well . Nothing could draw from him a word or look beyond average intelligence . No indignity could rouse him to more than the warfare of abuse , and the result was that long before dawn he found himself once more close to the front .