middays
He saw the eyes of these guards turn constantly toward him . `` You want to watch that old devil , '' Simmons had warned them . `` He 's dangerous . '' The days that followed were all alike : days of toil that began before sunrise , continued through blazing middays , and ended after sundown . Always , before and behind , the gang picked and shovelled , always the eyes of the guards were turning toward him . Always against the horizon the mountains , flecked at midday with clouds and shadows , beckoned him like a mirage . Sometimes from the top of a hill , under his broad hat , he studied the lay of the land .