noon
John was an interested observer of all the preparations , and was one of the first to take his place alongside of the wagon . When the Professor urged him to take a seat he looked up inquiringly , but did not comply . The Professor did not urge him , but after several hours of walking , he was again asked to mount , and he did so , thereby seeming to understand what was required of him . When they camped at noon for the first meal , they were still on the banks of the Cataract , but here it took a decided turn to the west ; and now the course for the afternoon must be to the southwest so the South River could be reached above the falls . That river was reached early in the afternoon , and they recognized the trail formerly made on the first journey along its banks . The first encampment for the night was probably twenty miles from home , but the next morning , after they had struck into an entirely new section of the island , the journey grew more burdensome , as the land on both sides of the stream became rough , and in many places the small streams crossed offered such steep sides that frequent detours had to be made to enable the team to get across . During the second day they did not , on account of this , cover more than ten miles , and near the close of the day a second falls was reached , showing that they were going up to a much higher altitude .