midnight
Quite the opposite are the croaking of frogs , the screeching of owls , the jerking call of tree-crickets , and the bellowing of the alligator . Still , the ear accustomed to such sounds is not jarred by them . They are but the bass notes , needed to complete the symphony of Nature 's concert . In the midst of this melange , -- the hour , as already stated , midnight -- a man , or something bearing man 's semblance , is seen gliding along the edge of the cypress swamp , not far from the place where Charles Clancy fell . After skirting the mud-flat for a time , the figure -- whether ghost or human -- turns face toward the tract of lighter woodland , extending between the thick timber and cleared ground of the plantations . Having traversed this , the nocturnal wayfarer comes within sight of the deserted cottage , late occupied by the Clancys . The moonlight , falling upon his face , shows it to be white .