noon
`` I 'd give a lot to see them at work , '' declared Paul . `` If I get half a chance , Tolly Tip , I 'm going to come up here next spring if you 'll send me word when they 're on the job . It would be well worth the trip on horseback from Stanhope . '' Upon arriving at the camp toward noon the boys and their guide found everything running smoothly , and a great deal accomplished . Jud had not come back as yet , but several times distant shots had been heard , and the boys were indulging in high hopes of what Jud would bring back . `` You mus n't forget though , '' Paul warned these optimists , `` that we 're not the only pebbles on the beach . There are others in these woods , some of them with guns , and no mean hunters at that . ''