nearly noon
Without pausing longer he hastened on and was not long in placing himself upon the top of the elevation from which he was so confident of gaining his view of the promised land , as the pass had become to him , now that it seemed so difficult to find , and was so necessary to anything like progress . But another disappointment awaited him . The most careful scrutiny failed to reveal anything like the ravine , and poor Fred was forced to the conclusion that he was hopelessly lost , and nothing but Providence could bring him through the labyrinth of peril in which he was entangled . It was nearly noon , and , having failed so completely in his efforts to regain the pass , Fred determined to devote a little time to procuring food . He was certain that he would soon require it and might postpone his hunt too long . Although now and then he suffered somewhat from want of water , yet it was not for any length of time . There was an abundance of streams and rivulets , and he frequently stumbled upon them , when he had no expectation of doing so .