noon
`` That shows what we can expect , in this no-man 's country , '' he said . `` We 'll have worse than that later on , I 'm afraid . '' And his words were to prove true , though not exactly as he had intended , before two days more had passed . Shortly before noon they came upon lower ground , with the high hills rising some ten miles farther on . A stream trickled through beds of reeds and swamp-grass , and it was decided that they should follow the high ground upstream , in the hope of being thus led to their hard-sought goal . Schoverling and Charlie employed the shotgun in turn , shooting from their horses , and stocking the whole camp with wildfowl . The Masai had spread out in great glee , investigating this strange land like children , when a sudden yell of horror went up from one of them .