eleven o'clock
With marvelous endurance Fred still held the lead . He went as if driven by machinery , with his head down and his lips clenched ; he did not speak a word . He was supposed to be the weakest of the party , but even Macgregor , a trained cross-country runner , found himself falling farther and farther behind . At eleven o'clock Horace called a halt . The rain had almost stopped , and the boys , lighting a small fire , roasted generous slices of venison . There was no need of sparing the meat now . Either plenty of food or death was at the end of the journey .