Noon
The sun was not yet up , but in the sky were bars of red that reached high above the mountains , and by this light he saw the watcher , face down upon the rocks , asleep . Nature , his god , had commanded , and he obeyed . Jess smiled , then noiselessly sat down to wait . Noon came . The sheriff ate part of his lunch , lit his pipe , and settled back for a longer wait . He felt an infinite relief to see this strange man sleeping , for in his gruff make-up had grown a concern for the mountaineer approaching affection . Now he swore softly to himself that , even though Potter should come , he would let him pass rather than wake Dale .