midnight
By what uncanny skill the negro was able to navigate , how he found his way in safety along that ragged bank , remains a mystery . To my eyes all about us was black , impenetrable , not even the water reflecting a gleam of light ; indeed , so dense was the surrounding gloom that in the deeper shadows I could not even distinguish the figure of the girl seated beside me in the cockpit . Yet there was scarcely a break in the steady chug of the engine , or the gentle swish of water alongside . The clouds broke slightly after midnight , occasionally yielding a glimpse of a star , but the uninhabited shore remained desolate and silent . Day had not broken when we came to the mouth of the Illinois , and turned our bow cautiously up that stream , becoming immediately aware that we had entered new waters . The negro , ignorant of what was before us , soon beached the boat onto a sand bar , and we decided it would be better for us to remain there until dawn . This was not long in coming , the graying sky of the east slowly lighting up the scene , and bringing into view , little by little , our immediate surroundings .