noon
`` That 's not a bad idea , to get ammunition at the expense of the enemy . Their bullets might not fit our rifles , but we could use their powder . We may have our chance yet to raid 'em . '' At noon they turned aside into the forest and sought a deep recess where they could rest and plan . Foliage and earth were dry now and they stretched themselves luxuriously , as they ate and talked . They reckoned that they could overtake the army on the following night or at least on the morning after , as its progress had been manifestly slower even than they had thought . Taking cannon through the great woods in which not a single road existed was a most difficult task .