four in the afternoon
The hours passed , and still no one came near him ; he called , and the guard appeared at the door , but only to see what was the matter , and finding his prisoner safe , at once resumed his walk to and fro . The soldier did not , for his own sake , dare to enter into conversation with a prisoner under arrest for such an offence ; he might be involved , or suspected . Had it been merely theft or any ordinary crime , he would have talked freely enough , and sympathized with the prisoner . As time went on , Felix grew thirsty , but his request for water was disregarded , and there he remained till four in the afternoon . They then marched him out ; he begged to be allowed to speak , but the soldiery did not reply , simply hurrying him forward . He now feared that he should be executed without the chance being afforded him to say a word ; but , to his surprise , he found in a few minutes that they were taking him in the direction of the king 's quarters . New fears now seized him , for he had heard of men being turned loose , made to run for their lives , and hunted down with hounds for the amusement of the Court .