noon
If the whole land was infested by these and similar horrid monsters , life would be impossible upon it , and we decided that we would only search long enough to find and take aboard fresh water and such meat and fruits as might be safely procurable and then retrace our way beneath the cliffs to the open sea . And so at last we turned into our narrow bunks , hopeful , happy and at peace with ourselves , our lives and our God , to awaken the following morning refreshed and still optimistic . We had an easy time getting away -- as we learned later , because the saurians do not commence to feed until late in the morning . From noon to midnight their curve of activity is at its height , while from dawn to about nine o'clock it is lowest . As a matter of fact , we did n't see one of them all the time we were getting under way , though I had the cannon raised to the deck and manned against an assault . I hoped , but I was none too sure , that shells might discourage them . The trees were full of monkeys of all sizes and shades , and once we thought we saw a manlike creature watching us from the depth of the forest .