noon
It was very cold . The snow was up to the horses ' bellies , so Silver Jack had to drive at a plunging walk . Occasionally one or the other of the two stood up and thrashed his arms about . At noon they ate sandwiches of cold fried bacon , which the frost rendered brittle as soon as it left the warmth of their inside pockets . Underfoot the runners of the cutter shrieked loudly . They saw the tracks of deer and wolves and partridge , and encountered a few jays , chickadees , and woodpeckers . Otherwise the forest seemed quite empty .