noon
They did that with sorrowful hearts , well knowing if they waited to take him with them , it would be death to them , and that he could never escape from his girdle of sand , if left alive . The other horses soon began to show sufficient activity to warrant their travelling , and again they rode on . That day they had sufficient to last them , but they could not make it hold out longer unless they put themselves on short allowance . Halting at noon , where not a ray of deliverance shone upon them any more than their first day out , they concluded to kill the three spare horses in order to save the water and grass for the rest . Selecting the three that exhibited the greatest signs of lassitude , they killed them . Confident now of holding on their course another day , they took their luggage on the horses they rode , and again set out . A copious shower of rain fell before night which was a great relief , as it refreshed their heated bodies as well as their horses , and cooled the temperature of the sand , from which they had been greatly annoyed by its scattering , and sometimes almost blinding their eyes , causing them to become inflamed and exceeding painful .