midnight
A red sun had begun to set over a red earth , and the men who had been out since noon-scouring the country for water , returned to say that none had been found , and they began to look into each other 's faces for the answer that none could give . At sunset they made a dry camp ; there was but enough water left to cook with . Each man received , as a thirst-quenching ration , a can of tomatoes . After supper they consulted , and it was agreed to trail the herd till midnight , taking advantage of the coolness to hurry them on as fast as possible to Green River . The grave nature of their plight was indicated by the fact that no one smoked after supper . Silent , sullen , they sat round , waiting for the foreman to give the order to advance . He waited for the moon to come up .