noon
But for now , he was conscious only of pain and shame , the old , old shame that the Canyon had tried to teach him to forget . He was determined that he would stay in the desert until this shame was gone forever . It was a fall and not a summer sun , so the pony was able to keep a steady pace until noon . Gradually the blur of green that Enoch had observed to the north had outlined itself more and more vividly , and at noon he rode into the shade of a little grove of stunted piñon and juniper . He could find no water but there was a coarse dried grass growing among the trees that the horse cropped eagerly . Enoch removed the saddle and pack from Pablo , and spread his half dried blankets on the ground . Then he threw himself down to rest before preparing his midday meal .