noon
It was impossible that their whispers could have carried so far , or have penetrated the growl of those voices . It must have been some noise from beyond . They strained their ears , anxiously intent . There was no trouble in hearing it this time ; it rose shrill and piercing on the drowsy noon air , a man 's whistle , rapidly approaching from the direction of the Norse camp . While Alwin listened with dilated eyes , Rolf 's lips shaped just one word : `` Kark ! '' Almost without breathing they lay peering out between the leaves . At the first sound , the men below had leaped to their feet and grasped their weapons .