a quarter to ten
Is it near morning ? '' asked Hine , in a voice which was very feeble . `` A little longer to wait , '' said Garratt Skinner , cheerfully . The hands marked a quarter to ten . And afterward they grew very silent , except for the noise which they made in shivering . Their teeth chattered with the chill , they shook in fits which lasted for minutes , Walter Hine moaned feebly . All about them the world was bound in frost ; the cold stars glittered overhead ; the mountains took their toll of pain that night .