noon
Had the coach capsized we would have been in a nice fix , as the only means of exit was by crawling up through the back of the box-seat , which rose breast-high -- an awkward feat . Frank Hawden and I parted good friends . I leant out and waved my handkerchief , until a bend of the road hid him from sight . It was noon , the thermometer registered 112 degrees in the shade , and the dust was simply awful . It rose in such thick grey clouds that often it was impossible to discern the team of five which pulled us , and there was danger of colliding with passing vehicles . We were very much crowded , there being sixteen passengers . When we settled down and got started , I discovered that I was the only representative of my sex , and that I was sandwiched between a perky youth in his teens and a Chinaman , while a black fellow and a man with a red beard sat opposite .