five o'clock
It was hotter now that the sun had rolled past the zenith , now that the sand had drunk deep of its fiery rays . The air shimmered and danced above the gray monotone of flat country , Conniston 's eyeballs were burning with it . And back and arms and shoulders ached together . He had hoped that they would quit work at five o'clock . Five o'clock came and went , and the red-headed man said no word of stopping . Half-past five , six o'clock . And still they tightened wires , hammered burning staples , dug endless post-holes .