noon
Such was produce exchange in 1816 . The next morning they started for home , lightly loaded with their dearly bought corn . Their route lay along the Androscoggin River , and they had got as far on their way as the present factory town of Auburn , where the Little Androscoggin flows into the larger river of the same name , when they had an adventure which resulted in very materially increasing the weight of their load . It was a raw , cloudy day , and had begun to `` spit snow '' ; and as it drew toward noon , they stopped beside the road at a place where a large pine and several birches leaned out from the brink of the deep gorge through which the Little Androscoggin flows to join the larger stream . Here they fed their horses on the last of the three bagfuls of hay , but had nothing to cook or eat in the way of food themselves . The weather was chilly , and my young Great-uncle Nathaniel said to Jonathan : `` If you will get some dry birchbark , I will flash the pan . We will kindle a fire and warm up . ''