noon
The mischance that had swept him unwittingly over the countries of Europe had also carried him more than half way around the world from his home . Therefore the nearest way to reach America would be to continue traveling to the eastward . So much time had been consumed at the desert oasis that he felt he must now hasten if he wished to reach home by Saturday afternoon ; so , having quickly come to a decision , he turned the indicator and began a swift flight into the east . For several hours he traveled above the great desert of Gobi , but by noon signs of a more fertile country began to appear , and , dropping to a point nearer the earth , he was able to observe closely the country of the Chinese , with its crowded population and ancient but crude civilization . Then he came to the Great Wall of China and to mighty Peking , above which he hovered some time , examining it curiously . He really longed to make a stop there , but with his late experiences fresh in his mind he thought it much safer to view the wonderful city from a distance . Resuming his flight he presently came to the gulf of Laou Tong , whose fair face was freckled with many ships of many nations , and so on to Korea , which seemed to him a land fully a century behind the times .