noon
The bracing atmosphere , though it was so rarefied that the boys , at first , found a little difficulty in breathing , made objects seem strangely near . Several times Jack and his companions saw a distant landmark , and wondered why they were so long in reaching it . Mr. Hardy laughed at their astonishment as he explained the reason for the seeming nearness . They had dinner on the side of a mountain which they had begun to ascend shortly before noon . Mr. Hardy proved himself an old campaigner . He had a fire made , and bacon frying before the boys had the stiffness from their legs , caused by their ride . Then , with bread and coffee , they made a better meal than they had partaken of in many a hotel .