midday
He stopped , took off his hat , and ran his fingers remorsefully through his damp curls . Another thing troubled him . He had reached the crest of the Gulch , where their old working ground was spread before him like a map . They were not there ; neither were they lying under the four pines on the ridge where they were wont to rest at midday . He turned with some alarm to the new claim adjoining theirs , but there was no sign of them there either . A sudden fear that they had , after parting from him , given up the claim in a fit of disgust and depression , and departed , now overcame him . He clapped his hand on his head and ran in the direction of the cabin .