noon
The road followed by Rais Mourad on the day after leaving Santa Cruz was through a country of very uneven surface . Part of the time the kafila would be traversing a narrow valley by the seashore , and in the next hour following a zigzag path up the side of some precipitous mountain . In such places the animals would have to proceed in single file , while the Moor kept constantly cautioning his slaves against falling from the backs of their horses . While stopping for an hour at noon for the animals to be rested , the Krooman turned over a flat stone , and underneath it discovered a large scorpion . After making a hole in the sand about six inches deep , and five or six in diameter , he `` chucked '' the reptile into it . He then went in search of a few more scorpions to keep the prisoner company . Under nearly every stone turned over , one or more of these reptiles were found ; all of which the Krooman cast into the hole where he had placed the first .