noon
That 's the only vacant tepee in the whole village . And my friends do n't seem to have heard you . '' They moved on very quickly and cautiously , and when they reached the thick willow bluff , where they were comparatively safe , Harding felt easier . It was noon when they stumbled into camp , Harding ragged and exhausted , and Clarke limping after him in an even more pitiable state . The doctor had suffered badly from the hurried march ; but his conductor would brook no delay , and the grim hints he had been given encouraged him to put forth his utmost exertion . Blake was alive , but when Harding bent over him he feared that help had come too late . His skin looked harsh and dry , his face had grown hollow , and his thick , strong hair had turned lank and was falling out .