half past twelve
`` How many times am I to tell you that I have no letter ? '' `` Very well . At half past twelve I shall ask for it again . '' At half past twelve Garay returned the same answer , and then the three ate their noonday meal , which , like the breakfast , was rich and luscious . Once more the savory odors of bear , deer , wild turkey and wild pigeon filled the forest , and Garay , lying in the doorway of the hut , where he could see , and where the splendid aroma reached his nostrils , writhed in his bonds , but still held fast to his resolution . Robert said nothing , but the sardonic humor of both the Onondaga and the hunter was well to the fore . Holding a juicy bear steak in his hand , Tayoga walked over to the helpless spy and examined him critically .