noon sat
As we have n't a sledge , it would be awkward to carry you to the factory . '' They let him go , but when he reached the open his face hardened . The sky had a threatening look , the snow was soft , and there were wolves about , but he was comparatively safe while daylight lasted and food must be found . During the morning he saw wolf tracks , but no sign of a deer , and at noon sat down for a few minutes in a sheltered hollow and managed to light the half-frozen pipe he kept in an inner pocket . He had brought nothing to eat , since they had decided that it would be prudent to dispense with a midday meal , and getting stiffly on his feet by and by , he plodded from bluff to bluff throughout the afternoon . For the most part , they were thin and the trees very small , while so far as he could make out the country between them was covered with slabs of rocks and stones . It was utterly empty , with no sign of life in it , but he continued his search until the light began to fail , when he stopped to look about .