noon
Paul , his brother , and cousins , notwithstanding the noise , slept like tops . At the hour proposed the horses were caught and the party mounted . The explorers crossed the bed of the river some way to the north , at a distance from the blacks ' camp , and , as the ground was level , were able to make good progress . At noon they stopped at a water-hole , which , though very muddy , enabled them to give a draught to their horses ; but , unless it could be filtered , they felt no inclination to drink it themselves , their water-bottles being full . A fire was lighted , and some pigeons and other birds shot and cooked . The two parties now separated , the captain pointing out the course Mr Hayward was to take , while he struck more to the northward . What adventures might they not encounter before they again met !