noon
But the Peruvians merely laughed at their entreaties , telling them that it would do them good to be without for a while , and that they would appreciate their drink all the more when they got to Lima . The signal was then given , the whistle blew , and the melancholy procession moved out of Callao station , to the accompaniment of ironical cheers and wishes for a safe and happy journey from the soldiery and such of the townspeople as had come to witness the departure . The pace of the train was positively snail-like , and , as the engine had no tender attached , and burned wood instead of coal , the stoppages in order to replenish with fuel were very numerous . At the same time , it being now high noon , the vertical sun streamed down upon the uncovered trucks until they resembled so many ovens . The intense heat , coupled with the inordinate length of time occupied by the journey , reduced some of the prisoners , especially those who had been without water for many hours , to the verge of frenzy . Their supplications for water would have moved the hearts of any but the brutal Peruvian guards , whose canteens were full of spirit and water , and who constantly refreshed themselves therefrom , tortured the thirsty prisoners by holding the water-bottles up to their gaze , and then pouring the contents down their own throats . Gradually a low moan of pain and misery made itself heard in one of the trucks , which soon spread to the others as the miserable men became unable to bear their tortures any longer in silence .