noon
But she learned to shut up , the moment her opening notes were followed by a rattle of doors or windows , for these sounds of human nearness had frequently been followed by a '' _ bang _ '' and a charge of bird-shot , which somehow did no serious harm , though it severely stung her hide . And these experiences all helped to deepen her terror of guns and of those who used them . The object of these musical outpourings was not clear . They happened usually at dawn or dusk , but sometimes a loud noise at high noon would set her going . The song consisted of a volley of short barks , mixed with doleful squalls that never failed to set the Dogs astir in a responsive uproar , and once or twice had begotten a far-away answer from some wild Coyote in the hills . There was one little trick that she had developed which was purely instinctive -- that is , an inherited habit . In the back end of her kennel she had a little _ cache _ of bones , and knew exactly where one or two lumps of unsavoury meat were buried within the radius of her chain , for a time of famine which never came .