four in the afternoon
A white man in his position was not supposed to carry goatskin water bags over his shoulders . The boys of the village followed him after the elders had given up , and Skag halted at last to explain that this was an affair that would interest them very much -- when a teller came back to tell the story ; but that this was the doing part of the story and must be carried to its conclusion alone . A little later in the nullah bed he fastened the canteen and the gourd to Nels ' collar , but continued to pack the two skins himself -- a rather arduous journey in full Indian daylight with between forty and fifty pounds of water on his shoulders . It was four in the afternoon when they neared the mouth of the lair and Nels was drooping again . `` Buck up , old man ! '' Skag said . `` I 'll go in for a while with the thirsty ones .