eight o'clock
Had he the same aspect when the swoon of the ice seized him as he has now ? I answered yes , for the current of life having been frozen , his appearance would remain as it was . I lighted my pipe and sat smoking , thinking he would presently awake ; but his slumber was as deep as the stillness I had thawed him out of had been , and he lay so motionless that , but for his snoring and harsh breathing , I should have believed him lapsed into his former state . At eight o'clock the fire was very low . Nature was working out her own way with this Frenchman , and I determined to let him sleep where he was , and take my chance of the night . At all events he could not alarm me by stirring , for if I heard a movement I should know what it was . So , loitering to see the last gleam of the fire extinguished , I took my lanthorn and went to bed , but not to sleep .