About midday
Much as I should have wished , however , to have seen them eat their raw meat and sell their wives , it would have been dangerous until I had got rid of my uniform . My cap , my moustache , and my speech would all help to betray me . I continued to travel towards the north therefore , looking about me continually , but never catching a glimpse of my pursuers . About midday I came to where , in a secluded valley , there stood a single small cottage without any other building in sight . It was a neat little house , with a rustic porch and a small garden in front of it , with a swarm of cocks and hens . I lay down among the ferns and watched it , for it seemed to be exactly the kind of place where I might obtain what I wanted . My bread was finished , and I was exceedingly hungry after my long journey ; I determined , therefore , to make a short reconnaissance , and then to march up to this cottage , summon it to surrender , and help myself to all that I needed .