noon
But , no ; -- the plain evidently sloped down from us to the mountain . Whatever stream ran from it must go the other way . We should find no water before reaching the mountain -- perhaps , not then ; and , tortured with these doubts , we pushed gloomily forward . `` By noon the oxen began to give out . One of them fell dead , and we left him . The other three could not go much farther . Every article that was of no present use was thrown from the wagon to lighten it , and left lying on the plain ; but still the poor brutes were scarce able to drag it along .