noon
Sainte Lesse as yet knew nothing personally of the American mule or of Burley . Sainte Lesse heard both before it beheld either -- Burley 's loud , careless , swaggering voice above the hee-haw of his trampling herds : `` All I ask for is human food , Smith -- not luxuries -- just food ! -- and that of the commonest kind . '' And now an immense volume of noise and dust enveloped the main street of Sainte Lesse , stilling the quiet noon gossip of the town , silencing the birds , awing the town dogs so that their impending barking died to amazed gurgles drowned in the din of the mules . Astride a cream-coloured , wall-eyed mule , erect in his saddle , talkative , gesticulating , good-humoured , famished but gay , rode Burley at the head of the column , his reckless grey eyes glancing amiably right and left at the good people of Sainte Lesse who clustered silently at their doorways under the trees to observe the passing of this noisy , unfamiliar procession . Mules , dust ; mules , dust , and then more mules , all enveloped in dust , clattering , ambling , trotting , bucking , shying , kicking , halting , backing ; and here and there an American negro cracking a long snake whip with strange , aboriginal ejaculations ; and three white men in khaki riding beside the trampling column , smoking cigarettes . `` Sticky '' Smith and `` Kid '' Glenn rode mules on the column 's flank ; Burley continued to lead on his wall-eyed animal , preceded now by the fat brigadier of the gendarmerie , upon whom he had bestowed a cigarette .