noon
and it came no farther . With no land to till , no mineral to dig , their very poverty was their protection . With an air of grim finality , they declared strongly that as they had always been they would always remain ; and , at the beginning of my story , save for that one , slender , man-made trail , their hoary boast had remained unchallenged . Steadily , but with frequent rests on the grades , Jefferson Worth 's outfit climbed toward the summit and a little before noon gained the Pass . The loud , rattling rumble of the wagon as the tires bumped and ground over the stony , rock-floored way , with the sharp ring and clatter of the iron-shod hoofs of the team , echoed , echoed , and echoed again . Loudly , wildly , the rude sounds assaulted the stillness until the quiet seemed hopelessly shattered by the din . Softly , tamely , the sounds drifted away in the clear distance ; through groves of live oak , thickets of greasewood , juniper , manzanita and sage ; into canyon and wash ; from bluff and ledge ; along slope and spur and shoulder ; over ridge and saddle and peak ; fainting , dying -- the impotent sounds of man 's passing sank into the stillness and were lost .