midnight
But that did no harm . It reduced the real Ali Higg 's prestige for a while all over the countryside ; and in these days of League of Nations and mandates and whatnot it is hard enough in all conscience for brave villagers with muskets to find something to make up songs about . De Crespigny knew the truth about it as soon as our `` escaped '' man got to Hebron . Before midnight we were well south of the Dead Sea and far beyond the border up to which the British mandate was supposed to be going to extend whenever the League of Nations Council should stop arguing . We were something like two thousand feet below sea-level now ; but although the heat all day long under the tents had been almost intolerable , the night air was actually chilly because of the tremendous evaporation . The earth was throwing off the heat it had absorbed all day , and chill drafts crept from the mountaintops to take its place . And as we crossed the imaginary border in pure , mellow moonlight , with our three bells clanging , you could have told its approximate whereabouts by the change that came over the gang .