nearly midnight
They had a great night of it there in camp . Even Hen tried to forget for a time what he must face on the morrow , and joined his chums in their songs , as they sat cross-legged around the cheery blaze . There was no longer any necessity for suppressing their boyish exuberance , for the gloomy swamp had been left behind , nor was there any hiding escaped criminal to take alarm . So they laughed and talked and sang to their hearts ' content ; nor did the sleepiest of them , meaning Landy , of course , get a chance to lay his head on his make-believe pillow until nearly midnight . `` What 's the use of wasting so much time in sleeping ? '' Lil Artha had demanded , when the stout boy pleaded for them to desist , and give him a chance to get some rest ; `` this is going to be our very last camp until away off in Thanksgiving week , even if we have one then . So let 's make the most out of it .