midday
It was hot and sultry , and a dull haze hung over the mountains . Frere spent the morning in scooping a grave in the sand , in which to inter poor Bates . Practically awake to his own necessities , he removed such portions of clothing from the body as would be useful to him , but hid them under a stone , not liking to let Mrs. Vickers see what he had done . Having completed the grave by midday , he placed the corpse therein , and rolled as many stones as possible to the sides of the mound . In the afternoon he cast the fishing line from the point of a rock he had marked the day before , but caught nothing . Passing by the grave , on his return , he noticed that Mrs. Vickers had placed at the head of it a rude cross , formed by tying two pieces of stick together . After supper -- the usual salt meat and damper -- he lit an economical pipe , and tried to talk to Sylvia .