noon
It would have been little trouble to take enough to last through the four days ; but there was something unprofessional in such a course which caused their souls to rebel . The magnificent forest contained plenty of game , and they would have been poor sportsmen , indeed , had they confessed by their action that they distrusted their ability to procure it . The trail over which the two walked , Fred slightly in advance , was marked with such distinctness by the hoofs of the six horses that had passed along it in Indian file but a short time before that it was no trouble for the boys to recognize it , nor were they likely to have any difficulty in keeping to it throughout the whole distance . It was a little past noon , when they reached a small brook whose current was so cold and clear that they took a long draught from it , and then sat down and ate their simple lunch . They felt little fatigue , and as a goodly number of miles remained to be traveled , according to the schedule of Fred Linden , they leaped lightly across the waste and were soon under way again . `` Do you know , '' said Fred , later in the afternoon , `` that I 've been thinking we have not paid enough attention to one or two important matters . '' `` What are they ? ''