about one o'clock in the morning
When the map had been sufficiently examined , Thure again retired into Mrs. Dickson 's tent , where he again concealed the map in the bosom of his shirt ; and when he came out again , apparently without the map , Pedro smiled knowingly . Before going to her tent that night Mrs. Dickson sang a number of songs , and almost weirdly beautiful her voice sounded in the still night air of that little wilderness valley , concluding with Ham 's favorite `` Ben Bolt . '' Then she bade them all good-night and disappeared into her little tent . Mr. Dickson and Thure were to stand guard that night until the moon came up , which would be about one o'clock in the morning . Consequently , as soon as Mrs. Dickson retired , all but these two rolled themselves up in their blankets near the camp-fire and were soon sound asleep . Thure and Dickson each picked up his rifle and took his station on opposite sides of the camp and began his long silent vigil . The skies were overcast with clouds and the darkness was so dense that the watchers could not see six feet outside of the constantly dimming circle of the firelight .