noon
We kept on at a good pace . The Indian mustangs , although somewhat small , were strong and wiry ; and our horses , having had a good feed , were perfectly fresh . The distance , therefore , which on the previous days -- having our mules to drag after us -- was slowly traversed , was now quickly got over . But we had to call a halt at noon , by the side of a stream , in order to water our animals and let them feed ; while we ourselves took some of the provender which we had brought in our wallets . Klitz and Barney sat down opposite to us , by the orders of the lieutenant , and ate their meal in silence . They bore their disappointment very well . Perhaps , after their three or four days ' experience , they may have begun to suspect that they would not reach their El Dorado without some considerable difficulty , should they ever get there at all ; and they possibly consoled themselves with the idea that , since they had been retaken , they were getting off very cheaply .