noon
As soon as they were supplied with tools Geoffrey and his companion set to work . The trench for the foundations had to be dug three feet deep ; and though the sun blazed fiercely down upon them , they worked unflinchingly . From time to time the bey 's head servant came down to examine their progress , and occasionally watched them from among the trees . At noon he bade them lay aside their tools and come into the shed , and a slave boy brought them out a large dish of vegetables , with small pieces of meat in it . `` This is something like food , '' Stephen said as he sat down to it . `` It is ten years since such a mess as this has passed my lips . I do not wonder that chap fell ill when he got back to prison if this is the sort of way they fed him here . ''