noon
The sorest affliction that can visit us will not occasion half the murmuring and discontent that the petty annoyances and grievances of every-day life do . Could the pain which harassed Leland , and in the end nearly drove him frantic , have been concentrated into a few moments , or even into a half-hour , he could have borne it without a murmur ; but it was the continual , never-ceasing , monotonous length of it that troubled him . Several times in the course of their journey , Leland was upon the point of beseeching his enemies to kill him at once , and end his misery ; and had he reason to believe that they would have gratified him , he would not have hesitated a moment ; but such a request would have been useless . At noon , as usual , the party came to a halt , and a couple proceeded to bind Leland to a tree . During the proceeding he broke the cords that pained him so much , and they were replaced by others . The latter , however , were much more lax , and he felt greatly relieved when they were placed upon him . As soon as he was secured to the body of the tree , the savage left him and joined his companions .