noon
This grew all around us in low thickets . Its gnarled and twisted bushes , with their white silvery leaves , so far from gladdening the eye , only served to render the scene more dreary and desolate -- for we knew that this plant denoted the extreme barrenness of the soil . We knew that , wherever it grew , the desert was around it . `` It was , indeed , but a poor rest for our animals -- for the hot sun glanced down upon them during the noon hours , making them still more thirsty . We could not afford them a drop of the precious water ; for we ourselves were oppressed with extreme thirst , and our stock was hourly diminishing . It was as much as we could to spare a small quantity to the dogs , Castor and Pollux . `` Long before night , we once more yoked to the oxen , and continued our journey , in the hope of reaching some stream or spring .