noon
Stern took the bags of edible seaweed and the metal crate of fowl ; she draped the big net over her shoulders , and together , not without difficulty , they returned to Settlement Cliffs . Pass , now , all the minute details of the installation . By noon they had prepared a habitation for the newcomers , deep in a far recess of a winding gallery which thoroughly excluded all direct sunlight . Only the dimmest glow penetrated even at high noon . Here they stowed the freight , built a rock fireplace , and threw down quantities of the long , fragrant grass for bedding . They returned to their own cave , bade the colonists once more cover their heads , and entered , carefully closing the doorway after them . All four dined together , in true Merucaan style , on the familiar food of the Abyss .