noon
He hit Gaspar Ruiz , whose movements were slow , over his head and shoulders . Gaspar Ruiz stood still for a moment under the shower of blows , biting his lip thoughtfully as if absorbed by a perplexing mental process -- then followed the others without haste . The door was locked , and the adjutant carried off the key . By noon the heat of that low vaulted place crammed to suffocation had become unbearable . The prisoners crowded towards the window , begging their guards for a drop of water ; but the soldiers remained lying in indolent attitudes wherever there was a little shade under a wall , while the sentry sat with his back against the door smoking a cigarette , and raising his eyebrows philosophically from time to time . Gaspar Ruiz had pushed his way to the window with irresistible force . His capacious chest needed more air than the others ; his big face , resting with its chin on the ledge , pressed close to the bars , seemed to support the other faces crowding up for breath .