noon
_ Qua heri , bwana _ '' said Simba , and was gone . To the bewilderment of the Leopard Woman the pace of the safari now slackened . Heretofore the marches had been stretched to the limit of endurance ; now the day 's journey was as leisurely as that of a sportsman 's caravan . It started at daybreak , to be sure , but it ended at noon , unless exigencies of water required an hour or two additional . As a matter of fact , Kingozi knew that he had done everything possible . If Simba & Co. succeeded , then there was no immediate hurry ; if they failed , hurry would be useless . Bibi-ya-chui noticed the absence of two such prominent members of the safari as Simba and Mali-ya-bwana , of course , but readily accepted Kingozi 's explanation that he had sent them `` as messengers . ''