noon
At the last moment we had modified the original plan to suit everybody . The horsemen encumbered by pack-animals were to push on as rapidly as possible in order to reach by nightfall the settlement where dwelt the Italian friend . Once there they could feel themselves reasonably safe . Johnny , Missouri Jones and I would ride with them until noon as a sort of escort for the uninhabited portion of the journey . By that hour we figured we should have reached the outskirts of the regular diggings , where , our experience told us , our companions would be safe . Accordingly we pushed our mounts hard . Unhampered by pack-animals , and aided by knowledge of the route , we made great progress .