noon
He was a man of few words , and possibly it was for this reason as much as any that Kadour ben Saden had taken to him , for if there be one thing that an Arab despises it is a talkative man . All the balance of the day Abdul caught glimpses of the horsemen in their rear . They remained always at about the same distance . During the occasional halts for rest , and at the longer halt at noon , they approached no closer . `` They are waiting for darkness , '' said Kadour ben Saden . And darkness came before they reached Bou Saada . The last glimpse that Abdul had of the grim , white-robed figures that trailed them , just before dusk made it impossible to distinguish them , had made it apparent that they were rapidly closing up the distance that intervened between them and their intended quarry .