noon
It is therefore better that they should move off some distance before we turn off . '' The sheik had chosen two camels which , though not remarkable for their looks , were of better blood than the rest , and more capable of performing long journeys . He and his wife and child rode on one of the animals , Edgar with Yussuf behind him on the other . At noon they turned off from the southern course they had before been pursuing . They continued their journey until long after sunset , and then halted for a few hours to rest the camels . The moon rose at eight o'clock , and as soon as it was up they started again , travelling now in a north-easterly direction in order to throw their pursuers off their track . At daybreak they halted again , this time in a grove .