midnight
He began to believe in a supernatural presence ; and that the sounds he heard were the voices of those pagan divinities whom Costal had the boldness to invoke . Captain Lantejas was not the only person whom these strange noises had inspired with fear . At little more than gunshot distance from him , and hidden behind the trees , could be seen a number of men closely grouped together , and whispering their fears to one another . It need scarcely be said that they were the domestics of Don Mariano , who had counted with equal terror and astonishment the twelve strokes of the mysterious midnight bell . Their master , too , had heard the tolling , and was vainly endeavouring to account for the singular phenomenon . Just then the frightful howlings came pealing from the woods behind , awaking Gertrudis , and causing her to raise her head with a cry of terror . The seven sleepers themselves would have been awakened by such a terrible fracas of noises .