noon
Then truly the spirit of a great captain showed itself in the Gospodar , for when others were charged with fury he began to force himself into calm , so that out of his present self-command and the memory of his exalted position came a worthy strategy and thought for every contingency that might arise . So that when some new direction was required for our guidance , there was no hesitation in its coming . We , nine men of varying kinds , all felt that we had a master ; and so , being willing to limit ourselves to strict obedience , we were free to use such thoughts as well as such powers as we had to the best advantage of the doing . We came across the trail of the flying marauders on the second morning after the abduction , a little before noon . It was easy enough to see , for by this time the miscreants were all together , and our people , who were woodlanders , were able to tell much of the party that passed . These were evidently in a terrified hurry , for they had taken no precautions such as are necessary baffle pursuit , and all of which take time . Our foresters said that two went ahead and two behind .