noon
The riding-habits of the other ladies suffered considerably from the sharp spikes . It took all Madeline 's watchfulness to save her horse 's legs , to pick the best bits of open ground , to make cut-offs from the trail , and to protect herself from outreaching thorny branches , so that the time sped by without her knowing it . The pack-train forged ahead , and the trailing couples grew farther apart . At noon they got out of the foothills to face the real ascent of the mountains . The sun beat down hot . There was little breeze , and the dust rose thick and hung in a pall . The view was restricted , and what scenery lay open to the eye was dreary and drab , a barren monotony of slow-mounting slopes ridged by rocky canyons .