noon
He confessed to having just a little curiosity himself as to what had caused the Fox to desert the teepees of his tribe , and wander so far away from the reservation ; but of course Thad knew better than to ask about the personal affairs of the other . If the Fox chose , later on , to take them into his confidence , well and good . He might only stay with them for a night , and then slip away ; but since he was Aleck 's friend , and seemed to be connected with the great family of Foxes , of which they were a Boy Scout branch , why , he would be welcome . As the Indian confessed that he had not broken his fast since noon , when he had munched a handful of dried deer meat , known as pemmican , some of the boys took it upon themselves to cook something for him . He appeared to be very grateful , and could be seen to sniff the air eagerly while the coffee was boiling ; showing that he appreciated the white man 's drink at its true value ; for his people on the reservation enjoyed many of the comforts of civilization , and some of the luxuries , too , even to pianos that played themselves , and boxes that sang songs , and played the violin , and gave all sorts of orchestral music , so Aleck observed . And while the boys talked on various subjects , as they sat around , Thad happened to be watching the face of the Fox when one of the scouts casually mentioned the name of Colonel Kracker . He actually saw the dark face grow stern , and that the Indian ground his teeth together , as if in anger .