noon
But their leader kept steadily on . The sand was hard enough and offered sufficient resistance to the broad hoof of a horse , but if one stood still for a minute or so , it began gradually to silt up and bury it . It was a horrible place . When at noon that devil 's slough resolved itself into a comparatively narrow strip , and Dorothy saw that they could easily have left it , she began to understand their reason for keeping on such dangerous ground -- _ they did not wish to leave any tracks behind them _ . In all truth there was absolutely nothing to show that they had ever been in that part of the country . At last they came to what looked like a high hill with a wall-like cliff surmounting it . They stepped on to the firm clayey soil where the sage-bush waved , and had their midday meal .