about noon
As they intended remaining in their present quarters until darkness , they took some pains to select a suitable place . They finally hit upon a spot , on an incline of the river bank , and about a dozen yards distant . Here the grass was green and velvety , and the wood so thick that they had little fear of discovery , unless by some who had seen them land and took the trouble to hunt them out . It was about noon when they landed , and as they had all spent a wakeful night , their first proceeding was so to arrange themselves as to enjoy a quiet sleep . Terror was placed on duty as sentinel , and all lay down with a sense of security to which they had been strangers in a long time . As usual , the boys were the first to awake , doing so almost at the same moment . They saw by the sun that the afternoon was about half gone , but they were not troubled from hunger , as their morning meal may be said to have been their midday one , and had been one of those royal ones whose memory is apt to linger a long time with us , especially if we are boys .