noon
It must not be thought that he was in despair ; for , when he came to look over the situation , he found much to encourage him . In the first place , although besieged by a half-dozen fierce Sioux , he was sure the siege could not last long . Whatever they did must be done within a few hours . While it was impossible to tell the hour when his parents started from Barwell , it must have been quite early in the morning , and there was every reason to hope they would reach the settlement by noon at the latest . The moment they did so they would learn that Melville had left long before for home , and therefore had taken the upper trail , since , had he not done so , the parties would have met on the road . True , Mr. Clarendon would feel strong hope that his son , being so well mounted , would wheel about and follow without delay the counsel in the letter ; but he was too shrewd to rely fully on such hope . What could be more certain than that he would instantly gather a party of friends and set out to their relief ?