noon
She shuts her eyes and falls half asleep , sitting there high upon the camel 's back . But , if she could look out , there would be nothing to see but what she has seen many and many times before , -- great plains of sand or pebbles , and sometimes high , bare rocks , -- not a tree to be seen , and far off against the sky , the low purple hills . They move on in the heat , and are all silent . It is almost noon now , and Abdel Hassan stops , leaps from his horse , and strikes his spear into the ground . The camel-drivers stop , the camels stop and kneel , Gemila and Alee and their mother dismount . The servants build up again the tent which they took down in the morning ; and , after drinking water from the leathern bags , the family are soon under its shelter , asleep on their mats , while the camels and servants have crept into the shadow of some rocks and lain down in the sand . The beautiful black horse is in the tent with his master ; he is treated like a child , petted and fed by all the family , caressed and kissed by the children .