midday
That was what he had been attending to all his life . He had never placed himself and friends in the way of an impending avalanche . Recalling their course since leaving the village , the brothers understood better than before the cause of more than one tortuous winding by their guide , when they had been unable to guess the reason for such quixotic turns that did not lessen the labor of traveling itself . It was not yet midday , and the halt was not made for food for either man or beast . In truth , grass was so scarce , except here and there in the sheltered nooks and depressions , that some dependence would have to be placed for awhile on the barks of trees . Zigzag showed a meekness that roused distrust on the part of the boys . He must have found the heavy pack quite onerous , but he did not rebel .