noon
Once again they were on the move . Dobbin had managed to survive the near presence of those unfamiliar animals , and seemed to put more vigor than formerly into his work . Perhaps he was anxious to place as much distance as possible between his own person and the terrifying beasts of the jungle . When noon arrived the young scouts found themselves about five miles away from town . This was really further than a number of the lads had ever been in this direction . Still , there had been no rush , and Paul knew that his command must be in pretty good shape thus far . Most of them appeared to be merry enough , and joked as they walked .