noon
They have no landmark to guide them , neither rock nor tree ; but the sky is without a cloud , and there is a sun in it gleaming like a globe of fire . To the experienced prairie man this is sufficient for telling every point of the compass , and they but want one . Their course is due west till they strike the Pecos ; then along its bank to the crossing , thence west again through the Sierras , and on to Santa Fe . Keeping the sun slightly on the left shoulder , they journey till near noon , when a dark object , seen a little to the right , attracts them . Not to surprise , for they well know what it is -- a grove . They can tell , too , that the trees composing it are oaks , of the species known as black-jack . Notwithstanding their stunted growth , the black-jacks are umbrageous , and give good shade .