nearly noon
`` After all that 's been done to our people , '' said the Panther , `` I feel like rippin ' an ' r ` arin ' an ' chawin ' the rest of my life . '' `` We 'll have the chance to do all of it we want , judgin ' from the way things are goin ' , '' said `` Deaf '' Smith . Then they relapsed into silence , and rode on through the timber , going slowly as they were compelled to pick their way in the underbrush . It was now nearly noon , and a brilliant sun shone overhead , but the foliage of young spring was heavy on trees and bushes , and it gave them at the same time shade and shelter . As they rode they watched everywhere for a trail . If either Texans or Mexicans had passed they wanted to know why , and when . They came at last to hoofprints in the soft bank of the river , indicating that horses -- undoubtedly with men on their backs -- had crossed here .