midnight
This corn is invaluable to those who wish to traverse long distances , without being hampered with unnecessary luggage . With a sack or gourd of this article , containing about an half bushel , one can travel fifteen or twenty days without other sustenance . On we sped , the animals straining every muscle and nerve , their flanks heaving and flecked with foam . No sound broke upon the stillness of the night , save the rapid hoof-strokes of the mustangs , and occasionally the yelp of a coyote that was startled in his midnight prowlings by our sudden and rapid advance . Directly in my coarse loomed up a huge mound , and further on the dark forms of a range of low hills were outlined upon the horizon . I concluded to push on and gain their shelter . Once within their protecting shadow , I could pursue my course more leisurely , and without the fear of immediate detection .