nearly noon
What he sought was a _ kakur _ , or barking deer , a much smaller but infinitely more palatable beast . Hours passed ; and he and Badshah had wandered for miles without finding what he wanted . He looked at his watch ; for the sun was invisible . It was nearly noon . In a space free from undergrowth he halted the elephant and , patting the skull with his open hand , said : '' _ Buth ! _ '' Badshah at the word sank slowly down until he rested on his breast and belly with fore and hind legs stuck out stiffly along the ground . Dermot slipped off his neck and stretched his cramped limbs ; for sitting long upright on an elephant without any support to the back is tiring .