noon
He told off two men to carry the injured porter to a mission station more than a day 's march away , and redistributed the loads . Then we went on again , once more placing rock , hill , and cedar forest between us and our supply column , this time with Fred 's counsel ringing in our ears . `` Better send for nursemaids and perambulators , and have yourselves pushed ! '' At noon that day we found the track of the driven cattle , and soon after that came on the half-devoured carcass of a heifer that the Greeks had shot , presumably because it could not march , and perhaps with the added reason that freshly-killed meat would draw off leopards and hyenas and provide peace for a few miles . Once on the trail it would not have been easy to lose it , except in the dark , for the Greek marauders were bent on speed and the driven cattle had smashed down the undergrowth in addition to leaving deep hoof-prints at every water-course . The first suspicion that dawned on me of something more than mere freebooting on the part of Coutlass , was due to the discovery of hoof-prints of either mules or horses . I was marching alone in advance , and came on them beside a stream that was only apparently fordable in that one place .