early noon
It was no easy task , as it was fully two miles to the divide , a northern slope , and not affected by the sun before high noon . The flails rang out merrily . From time to time the horses were brought forward , their weight shattering the broken sleet and assisting in breaking out a pathway . The trail was beaten ten feet in width on an average , and by early noon the divide was reached . Several thousand acres lay bare , and by breaking out all drifts and depressions running north and south across the watershed , new grazing grounds could be added daily . A discovery was made on the return trip . The horses had been brought along to ride home on , but in testing the sleet on the divide , the sun had softened the crust until it would break under the weight of either of the boys .