noon
He no longer walked , but ran , and thought nothing of distance , nor the passing of time . The trail of pursuer and pursued still lit , red-hot , before him , and the cry of his heart still rang out -- On ! On ! It was noon when his speed slackened . Nor was it weariness that checked him . Once in the echoing wood he had heard the distant sound of breaking undergrowth . The prospect about him had changed .