the midday sun
It was first proposed to plant it in a pot , but upon reflection it was decided to leave it to nature , and confide it to the earth . This was done that very day , and it is needless to add , that every precaution was taken that the experiment might succeed . The weather having cleared , the settlers climbed the height above Granite House . There , on the plateau , they chose a spot , well sheltered from the wind , and exposed to all the heat of the midday sun . The place was cleared , carefully weeded , and searched for insects and worms ; then a bed of good earth , improved with a little lime , was made ; it was surrounded by a railing ; and the grain was buried in the damp earth . Did it not seem as if the settlers were laying the first stone of some edifice ? It recalled to Pencroft the day on which he lighted his only match , and all the anxiety of the operation .