noon
Then he straightened in the saddle . `` Boss go ; Kruger Bobs go , too , '' he said , with steady decision . Less than an hour later , outside the General 's tent Kruger Bobs sat astride The Nig , with the rein of the gray broncho in his hand . The clouds , since noon banked low in the eastern horizon , had swept up across the sky , and already the rain was pattering drearily over the hunched-up shoulders of Kruger Bobs . Inside the tent , the colloquy was brief . Twice Weldon repeated over the substance of his despatches and his instructions regarding their destination . The despatches were slipped between the layers of his shoe-sole , the cut stitches were replaced , and Weldon rose to his feet .