noon
`` Nothing doing , Sarge , until the rest of the crowd comes in , '' grinned Slosson . `` Oh , that 's easy enough for you fellows to say , '' grunted Noll . `` You two have been in camp all day , and you had a big , filling , hot meal at noon . All I had at noon was a hard tack and a half . '' `` You could have carried more , '' insisted Slosson . `` I had more , but I did n't find water anywhere and hard tack is abominably dry stuff to get down without help . '' `` Go over to the bucket and help yourself to water now , Sarge , '' suggested Private Kelly teasingly .