noon
Once more he sent back his defiant cry , now in answer to theirs , and then , calling upon his reserves of strength and endurance , fled with a speed that none of the warriors had ever seen surpassed . Henry 's flight lasted all that day , and he used every device to evade the pursuit , swinging by vines , walking along fallen logs , and wading in brooks . He did not see the warriors again , but instinct warned him that they were yet following . At long intervals he would rest for a quarter of an hour or so among the bushes , and at noon he ate a little of the venison that he always carried . Three hours later he came to the river again , and swimming it he turned on his course , but kept to the southern side . When the twilight was falling once more he sat still in dense covert for a long time . He neither saw nor heard a sign of human presence , and he was sure now that the pursuit had failed .