noon
With much laughter they piled in -- their light-heartedness and constant joking reminding such onlookers , as had ever seen the spectacle , of a band of real soldiers going to the front or embarking for foreign stations . With three ear-splitting cheers and a final yell of , `` Kr-ee-ee-ee-ee ! '' the little flotilla got under way . They arrived at the camping ground at the northeast end of the island before noon , and found that the `` pioneers '' appointed by Rob had done their work well . Each tent was placed securely on a level patch of sandy ground , cleared from brush and stamped flat . The pegs were driven extra deep in anticipation of a gale , and an open cook tent , with flaps that could be fastened down in bad weather , stood to one side . A small spring had been excavated by the pioneers , and an old barrel sunk in place , which had filled in the night and now presented sparkling depths of cool , clear water .