seven o'clock
And at last he found himself where his progress was made a foot at a time , and again and again he was forced to climb back and detour around treacherous slides and precipitous breaks which left sheer falls at his feet . The mist thickened in the valley . The sun sank behind the western peaks , and swiftly after that the gloom of twilight deepened . It was seven o'clock when he came to the edge of the plain , at least a mile below the elbow which shut out the cup in the valley . He was exhausted . His hands were bruised and bleeding . Darkness shut him in when he went on .