noon
They started again at earliest dawn , descended the slopes into a highway to Vera Cruz , and pushed on in the trail of Cos. . Ned still rode his burro , which trotted along faithfully with the best , and he kept an eager eye for the road and all that lay along it . The silent youth had learned the value of keen observation , and he never neglected it . Before noon Ned saw a dim , white cone rising on the eastern horizon . It was far away and misty , a thing of beauty which seemed to hang in the air above the clouds . `` Orizaba , the great mountain ! '' said Almonte .