three o'clock
What chiefly concerns the few white men who are able to live in Central Australia are the price of stock , the best place to find a little dried grass or bush , and water . Always water , water , water -- everything else is of secondary importance -- cattle-feed and water . The conversation between Stobart and the man behind the bar was all about the needs and the ways of stock . The drover hitched his horse to a veranda-post and walked into the dark drinking-room stiffly , for he had been in the saddle since three o'clock that morning , and had done some hard riding after restless cattle . `` Good-day , '' said Stobart . `` Good-day , '' replied Tom Gibbon . `` Travelling ? ''