nearly noon
Here it paused and again sniffed the air , which was now strong with the human odor . It remained there a while , staring with great eyes at the sleeping form , and then went back to the grassy little meadow . It revisited the boy at intervals , but never disturbed him , and Ned slept peacefully on . It was nearly noon when Ned awoke , and he might not have awakened then had not the sun from its new position sent a shaft of light directly into his eyes . He saw that his precious rifle was still lying by his side , and then he sprang to his feet , startled to find by the sun that it was so late . He heard a loud joyous neigh , and a great bay horse trotted toward him . It was Old Jack , the faithful dumb brute , of which he had thought so rarely during all those tense days in the Alamo .