About ten o'clock
He 'll come through all right ! '' he said to Rina more than once -- perhaps because he needed secretly to reassure himself . Rina , preoccupied with her own heavy thoughts , did not seem to care either way . About ten o'clock they descended into a considerable coulée whose stony bed still contained some standing pools . Here , by the water , Grylls 's party had encamped for the night ; and the ashes of their fire were still warm . From the extent of the trampling in the mud , it was clear the whole party had made a rendezvous here ; and beyond the coulée , even Garth had no difficulty in following the trail of the fourteen horses over the turf . He rode ahead now ; consulting his compass , he saw that the way always led due northwest .