noon
I kept a stiff backbone for a while , but presently a futile rage against circumstances bubbled up and boiled over . I climbed each succeeding canyon wall oozing perspiration and profanity , and when the top was reached took fresh breath and damned the Northwest by sections in a large , fluent manner of speech . In time , however , the foolishness of this came home to me , and I subsided into spasmodic growling , saving my wind for the miles yet to cover . Well past noon we reached the summit of a hog-backed ridge that overlooked the tortuous windings of Lost River , a waterless channel between banks that were void of vegetation . The crest of the divide was studded with great outcroppings of sand-stone , and in the shadow of one giant rock we laid down to rest before we descended into that barren valley where the heat-waves shimmered like crepon silk . The cool bit of earth was good to stretch upon ; for nearly an hour we laid there , beyond reach of the glowing sun ; it was worth almost the treasure we had lost to ease our aching feet . Then reluctantly we started again .