midday
At the pace they proceeded it was not long before the willows , a dark clump amid the surrounding ocean of glittering waste , came into view . A veteran of the air could not have made a more accurate or an easier landing that did Peggy . The big machine glided to the ground as softly as a feather , just at the edge of the patch of shade and verdure which made up Steer Wells . That afternoon , after the midday meal , a cloud of dust to the southward excited everybody 's attention . After scanning the oncoming pillar closely Alverado announced that it was caused by a party of horsemen , and it soon became evident that the willow clump was their destination . `` Oh , mercy , I do hope they are n't Indians and we shall all be murdered in our beds ! '' cried Miss Prescott in considerable alarm .