noon before
Thank God the weather is warm , and I daresay if they kept well under cover of the trees , the dear children may have got no harm from exposure . They have not been fasting _ very _ long , so -- let us to work . '' Leif and Biarne both fell in with Karlsefin 's humour , and cheered the spirits of the men by their tone and example , so that when the hurried meal was finished they felt much refreshed , and ready to begin the work of another day . It was past noon before they returned to the ridge and began the renewed search . Daylight now enabled them to trace the little footsteps with more certainty , and towards the afternoon they came to the cave where the children had slept . `` Here have they spent the night , '' said Leif , with breathless interest , as he and Karlsefin examined every corner of the place . `` But they are gone , '' returned the other , `` and it behoves us to waste no time .