noon
At the other end of it , where the rocks again approached each other , was probably a precipice . After a few minutes ' cogitation , Captain Horn felt sure that he understood the whole matter : a subway from the lake led to this amphitheatre , and thus there had been no audible rush of the waters until they reached this point , where they poured in and filled this great basin , the lower end of which was probably stopped up by accumulations of sand and deposits , which even in that country of scant vegetation had accumulated in the course of years . When the waters of the lake had rushed into the amphitheatre , this natural dam had held them for a while , but then , giving way before the great pressure , the whole body of water had suddenly rushed down the ravine to the sea . `` Yes , '' said the captain , `` now I understand how it happened that although I opened the valve at noon , the water did not reach the Rackbirds until some hours later , and then it came suddenly and all at once , which would not have been the case had it flowed steadily from the beginning through the outlet made for it . '' When the captain had returned and reported his discoveries , and he and his party had finished their noonday meal , which they ate outside on the plateau , with the fire burning and six servants to wait on them , Mrs. Cliff said : `` And now , captain , what are we going to do ? Now that our danger is past , I suppose the best thing for us is to stay here in quiet and thankfulness , and wait for Mr. Rynders . But , with the provisions we have , we ca n't wait very long .