eight in the evening
The banks of the den not only concealed the light of my fire , but sheltered me from the wind , which was cold as well as high . The life I was leading made me both hardy and frugal . I never drank but water , and rarely eat anything more costly than oatmeal ; and I required so little sleep , that , although I rose with the peep of day , I would often lie long awake in the dark or starry watches of the night . Thus in Graden Sea-Wood , although I fell thankfully asleep by eight in the evening I was awake again before eleven with a full possession of my faculties , and no sense of drowsiness or fatigue . I rose and sat by the fire , watching the trees and clouds tumultuously tossing and fleeing overhead , and hearkening to the wind and the rollers along the shore ; till at length , growing weary of inaction , I quitted the den , and strolled toward the borders of the wood . A young moon , buried in mist , gave a faint illumination to my steps ; and the light grew brighter as I walked forth into the links . At the same moment , the wind , smelling salt of the open ocean and carrying particles of sand , struck me with its full force , so that I had to bow my head .