nearly noon
The day was already so far advanced that I thought it wiser to remain where I was , and not to start off till next morning , when I intended to push northward , in hopes of at last getting to the fort . I passed the night in attending to my fire , and taking short snatches of sleep . In the morning I boiled some more skin , and having eaten it , slung the pot over my back and commenced my solitary march . I walked on till nearly noon , when , utterly exhausted from want of sleep and food , I sank down under shelter of a copse which I had just reached . How long I had remained in a state of unconsciousness I could not tell , when I felt something licking my hand . I opened my eyes with the idea that a wolf or a grizzly bear was about to seize me . What was my astonishment to behold our dog Bouncer , a general favourite at the fort , but especially attached to me .