nearly nine o'clock
Still we plodded on , parched and weary , until in the eastern sky the dawn rose slowly . For just a brief period we felt the cold , damp , but refreshing breath of morning , and then the hot sun added to our misery . Our heads were scorched by its burning rays , and we were almost blinded by the glare reflected from the deep , loose sand . It was nearly nine o'clock when the guide , extending his arm , exclaimed , `` Sama -- water ! '' And looking ahead , we caught a glimpse of the cool green vegetation in the Sama valley . Under other circumstances it would have been laughable to watch the effect produced by our near approach to the valley . What semblance of order the colonel had kept on the march vanished .