about noon
`` I can deal with men 's bodies , '' Spurling said . Then they moved onward , pressing up against the current . At the first hint of daylight they landed and hid themselves , lest , in that deserted land , their presence should be detected . The precaution proved wise , for about noon a party of belated voyageurs passed northward en route for the Crooked Creek . They were singing , keeping time with their paddles ; their careless gladness made the hunted men , for all their gold , feel envious . They dared not kindle a fire , and at last , that they might save the little warmth they had , were compelled to lie down together , breast to breast , clasping one another closely as though they were friends . At sunset they again set out .