noon
He turned back to the fire and held out his hands before the mellow blaze . Henry examined the forest again , widening his circle , and saw no traces of an enemy . He judged that they had passed either to east or west , and that he and Paul would not be molested just yet , although he had no confidence in their permanent security . He saw a deer , but in view of their bountiful supply of pigeons he did not risk a shot , and returned before noon , to find Paul rapidly regaining his strength . He cooked two more of the pigeons in their precious iron pot , and then they rested . They left both door and window open now , and they could see forest and sky . Henry called attention to a slight paleness in the western heavens , and then noted that the air felt damp .