midday
The road was bad and curving beyond belief . It went many miles east and many miles west for every mile of southward gain . The hour grew late . Coburn had fled Ardea at sunrise , but they 'd reached Náousa after midday and he drove frantically over incredible mountain roads until dusk . Despite sheer recklessness , however , he could not average thirty miles an hour . There were times when even the half-track had to crawl or it would overturn . The sun set , and he went on up steep grades and down steeper ones in the twilight .