four o'clock
Even this sturdy little soldier cowered before the obscure menace of the hidden Hill People . Terry resented , vaguely , that others did not respond to the spell of the Hills as he did . The five minutes had freshened the wonderful little steeds , so they mounted and pushed on through the heat with eyes half shut against the glare of sand and water . At four o'clock they pulled up in front of Terry 's quarters . A note from the secreto lay on his table . He opened it and read that Malabanan had not returned , that the place was deserted . He had anticipated this , knowing that the band would now operate from some secret rendezvous in the maze of the forests .