midnight
The supplies were quickly stowed beneath the bunks , the tent stove erected , and , halting only long enough to make tea , they launched their canoe for the return . `` We 'll be makin ' th ' river tilt before we sleeps , '' said Bob . `` They 's a moon , an ' we 'll finish by moonlight , an ' to-morrow we 'll be gettin ' out with th ' next load . If we travels fast we can make th ' river tilt before midnight , whatever ! '' The portage trail left the river at a point some ten miles below the tilt , and as previously stated , at the lower end of the lake , where the current began to gather strength for its final tumultuous rush toward the falls . They had paddled the distance in two hours , and were congratulating themselves upon their good progress as they turned the canoe toward the portage landing , when suddenly they were startled by a burst of wild , bloodcurdling whoops , and a half-dozen strange Indians , guns levelled , rose upon the shore . `` Mingens ! ''