noon
Nor indeed could Paul be blamed for wishing to pass the responsibility on to broader shoulders , more capable of bearing it . He was only a boy , and it seemed to him that since he had been placed in charge of this expedition , with all its attendant cares and trials , his spirit had been almost crushed . But the camp was broken , and with much laughter the scouts began to climb the side of mysterious old Rattlesnake Mountain , of course Paul managed to forget most of his troubles , and his merriment rang out as loud as that of any other . So , boosting and pulling at old Dobbin , they made the ascent by slow degrees , and by noon had reached a point that afforded them a grand view of the country away off toward the south , the east and the west ; but it was toward the first named region that many a wishful look was given , for did not Stanhope lie yonder -- and home ? `` We 'll never get that old horse any higher up than this , Paul , '' said Jud Elderkin . The scouts were sitting there with that fine panorama spread out before them , and eating a sort of pick-up lunch . At breakfast time enough food had been prepared to carry them along for another meal .