noon
Brandishing his whip , Tom shouted at the wolves in hope of frightening them off . They only raised their heads to glare threateningly at him , their jaws dripping blood , then voraciously resumed their gory repast , tearing great quivering masses of flesh from the struggling beast , which they seemed to swallow without chewing , with such a ravenous appetite did they eat . Tom was a brave lad . But as he descended the side of the hill towards the river , and the dense shadows made his way dim , although it was high noon and a brilliant sun was flooding the prairies , he could not shake off a feeling of dread that had grown upon him . Every now and then he caught himself starting with nervous apprehension , and , to break the spell , he began to whistle a merry tune , to keep up his courage , as boys are wont to do . But he was thinking how dismally it sounded , when , suddenly , in the distance rang out the clear notes of a robin . Tom involuntarily reined in his horse at that ; for the call of that bird his Indian friend Long Hair used to imitate for a signal , and had taught Tom how to do it .