midday
But Little was satisfied . When at length they broke through a mat of bush and came out into an open glade dotted with great , bare , brown humps , his pained eyes twinkled at Barry with some of his old cheery spirit and , speechless though they were under coercion , imparted hope to the skipper . They were given little time to wonder what their fate was to be . Presuming they had been carried to this place for a midday halt , and that their journey would soon be resumed , Barry and Little flung themselves down to rest and maintained a careless attitude in the face of their captors . But this attitude was swiftly dispelled for , idly staring at the sailors , barely wondering at what they saw , they suddenly awoke to a fear that turned them cold . `` Look ! '' muttered Barry hoarsely .