midnight
Kut-le did not relinquish his burden . He seemed not to tire of the weight of the slender body that lay now in helpless stupor . If the squaws or Alchise felt fatigue or impatience as Kut-le held them to a pace on the tortuous trail that would nearly have exhausted a Caucasian athlete , they gave no sign . All the endless night Kut-le led the way under the midnight blackness of the piñon or the violet light of the stars , until the lifting light of the dawn found them across the ranges and standing at the edge of a little river . In the dim light there lifted a terraced adobe building with ladders faintly outlined on the terraces . There was no sound save the barking of a dog and the ripple of the river . With a muttered admonition , Kut-le left Rhoda to the others and climbed one of the ladders .