About midday
From these pleasant pictures I returned to the beastly present -- the thick snowy woods , the lowering sky , wet clothes , a hunted present , and a dismal future . I felt miserably depressed , and I could n't think of any mercies to count . It struck me that I might be falling sick . About midday I awoke with a start to the belief that I was being pursued . I can not explain how or why the feeling came , except that it is a kind of instinct that men get who have lived much in wild countries . My senses , which had been numbed , suddenly grew keen , and my brain began to work double quick . I asked myself what I would do if I were Stumm , with hatred in my heart , a broken jaw to avenge , and pretty well limitless powers .