noon
They had grazed until they were full and sleepy , but the memory of some of them was too vivid of the hours they had spent in the slimy ooze of Big Boggy once on a time , and they began milling on sight of the stream . We took them back and brought them up a second time with the same results . We then brought them around in a circle a mile in diameter , and as the rear end of the herd was passing , we turned the last hundred , and throwing the oxen into their lead , started them for the bridge ; but they too sulked and would have none of it . It was now high noon , so we turned the herd and allowed them to graze back while we went to dinner . Millet 's foreman was rather discouraged with the outlook , but Slaughter said they must be crossed if he had to lay over a week and help . After dinner , Jacklin asked us if we wanted a change of horses , and as we could see a twenty mile ride ahead of us in overtaking our herd , Flood accepted . When all was ready to start , Slaughter made a suggestion .