midday
The smoke from two dozen shag pipes settled like streaks of mist in the sultry air of the tropical night , which came in at the open windows . Lazily and with long pauses , conversation was kept up at the separate tables . The silence was only broken by the creaking of the wicker chairs and the gurgling and splashing of the soda water , when one of the officers , after having put it off as long as possible , at last found sufficient energy to refill his glass . Motionless as seals on the sandhills in the heat of midday , the officers lolled in their chairs , waiting for the moment when they could turn in with some show of decency . `` It 's awful ! '' groaned Colonel McCabe . `` This damned hole is enough to make one childish .