nearly midnight
and forced onward his way . The moon failed , even the stars were clouded . A kind of brute instinct guided him . At last -- he guessed it was nearly midnight -- he caught once more the flashings of a shallow river and the dim outlines of shrubbery beside the bank -- again the Asopus . He must take care or he would wander straight into Mardonius 's camp . Therefore he stopped awhile , drank the cool water , and let the stream purl around his burning foot . Then he set his face to the south , for there lay Platæa .