about three in the afternoon
Worthington Ko had been left afoot far behind them , but there was no assurance his friends had n't come to the rescue with horses . Rick kept glancing behind him , just in case of an attack from the rear . They had reached the rim of the valley by midmorning . All through the day they made their way down the mountain , reaching the valley floor about three in the afternoon . Another two hours of steady travel took them past the yurts of Tibetan herders -- conical tents made of horsehair felt . The stolid Tibetans watched them pass , no interest in their beady eyes . Then , as darkness began to set in , they reached the monastery .