midnight
The moon being new , her pale crescent sank quickly after the sun , but the sky was perfectly clear and the stars more than ordinarily bright . To reach home I had about twelve miles to ride , that is , by taking a short cut along footpaths ; along the main road the distance was nearer twenty . Numjala was very anxious that I should spend the night at his kraal , and offered , would I agree to remain , to kill a juicy looking kid and roast it for supper . I had , however , promised my wife to return by midnight , and I feared she might be uneasy were I not to do so ; I therefore declined the invitation . `` Does your horse lead well ? '' asked Numjala . `` Not particularly , '' I replied ; `` why do you ask ? ''