noon
When any of them chanced to look at her , her face was wholly stolid . Black Shand 's face lightened as they brought Sam over the bank . `` So it was on the level , '' he remarked . It was now some time past noon , and the word was given to eat before embarking . Sam , with his bound hands in his lap , sat on a great sod which had fallen from the bank above , and watched the others curiously and warily . He had cooled down . So many things had happened to him during the past two days that his capacity for anger and astonishment was pretty well used up .