midnight
Then the sun set ; and it was darkness visible . Coming from the south , the sea-fret caught Hazel sooner and in a less favorable situation . Returning from the palm-tree , he had taken the shortest cut through a small jungle , and been so impeded by the scrub , that , when he got clear , the fog was upon him . Between that and the river he lost his way several times , and did not hit the river till near midnight . He followed the river to the lake , and coasted the lake , and then groped his way toward the creek . But , after a while , every step he took was fraught with danger ; and the night was far advanced when he at last hit off the creek , as he thought . He halloed ; but there was no reply ; halloed again , and , to his joy , her voice replied ; but at a distance .