about noon
Wyatt passed by , and looked upon them with an air of possession . They were sure now that it was he who had taken them , and , drawing further back into the forest , they waited patiently for the next move in the great game of life and death . Indian scouts several times passed within a few yards of them , but they knew that the minds of these men were upon the army not upon them . They were scouting to see whether Clark would follow them into the forest and , when they became certain about noon that he would not do so , they gathered their own numbers together and started northward to the villages of their brethren . Henry , Shif ` less Sol and Tom Ross followed closely enough to know what was going on , but not so closely that they would walk into a trap . Fortunately the country was heavily wooded with evergreen and there was still an abundance of leaves on the trees . Fortified by such a long experience as theirs it was not difficult to keep under cover , and when the tribes went into camp that night , the three pursuers were not a quarter of a mile away .