noon
The palisade had an exterior door that corresponded with an interior one . All were locked at night . The number of men , women and children -- all more or less near relatives of Joel -- who cultivated fields in common with him , was considerable . These lodged in the houses attached to the principal building , where they met at noon and in the evening to take their joint meals . Other homesteads , similarly constructed and occupied by numerous families who cultivated lands in common , lay scattered here and there over the landscape and composed the _ ligniez _ , or tribe of Karnak , of which Joel was chosen chief . Upon his entrance in the yard of his homestead , Joel was received with the caresses of his old war dog Deber-Trud , an animal of an iron grey color streaked with black , an enormous head , blood-shot eyes , and of such a high stature that in standing up to caress his master he placed his front paws upon Joel 's shoulders . He was a dog of such boldness that he once fought a monstrous bear of the mountains of Arres , and killed him .