Five o'clock in the afternoon.
It was the hottest time of the day, and Bi Fang and the camels were taking shelter from the heat under a rocky outcrop.
"The best times for travel in a day are from four in the morning to eleven, and then from four in the afternoon until seven. You could also travel through the night, but I've said before that it's the peak time for animal activity, so it's more dangerous. Besides, in the pitch black of night, the mental strain is usually greater,"
"And people need to rest. We're not camels. We can't go on for days without eating or drinking. Nights in the Sahara are very cold, and in the cold, you want to sleep as much as possible. Overexerting yourself will just make you lose heat that you won't get back."
"Don't worry about never waking from your sleep, unless you're completely exhausted. Before you freeze solid, the cold will wake you up."