three o'clock
I hope you 're not starved , '' she called to Wayland . `` But I am , '' he replied , so frankly that she never knew how faint he really was . His knees were trembling with weakness , and he stumbled dangerously as he trod the loose rocks in the path . They were all afoot now descending swiftly , and the horses ramped down the trail with expectant haste , so that in less than an hour from timber-line they were back into the sunshine of the lower valley , and at three o'clock or thereabouts they came out upon the bank of an exquisite lake , and with a cheery shout McFarlane called out : `` Here we are , out of the wilderness ! '' Then to Wayland : `` Well , boy , how did you stand it ? '' `` Just middling , '' replied Wayland , reticent from weariness and with joy of their camping-place . The lake , dark as topaz and smooth as steel , lay in a frame of golden willows -- as a jewel is filigreed with gold -- and above it the cliffs rose three thousand feet in sheer majesty , their upper slopes glowing with autumnal grasses .