noon
Again we started off . This walk of four miles of desert that lay between Garland and the point on the Shoshone River where the invaders were established was about all I could manage , for I was almost exhausted . I realized then how great an exertion the Mercutians were put to , for they seemed nearly as tired as I . We stopped frequently to rest , and it was well after noon when we approached the hollow through which the Shoshone River ran . Several times I noticed where the Mercutian Light had burned off the scrubby desert vegetation . As we got closer I could see it now in the sunlight , standing vertically up in the air , motionless . There were signs all about now where the light had burned .