midday
Now only water stretched beneath them . The globe skidded on as if its pilot had given it an extra burst of power , and Raf accelerated in turn , having no desire to lose his guide . But they were not to make the ocean-wide trip in one jump . At midday he saw again a break in the smooth carpet of waves , another island , or perhaps the southern tip of a northern continent for the land swept in that direction as far as he could see . The globe spiraled down to make a neat landing on a flat plateau , and Raf prepared to join it . When the undercarriage of the flitter jarred lightly on the rock , he saw signs that this was a man-or alien-fashioned place which must have had much use in the dim past when his new companions ruled all their native world . The rock had been smoothed off to a flat surface , and at its perimeter were several small domed buildings .