midday before
All these things we collected together in the clearing , and as a first precaution , we cut down with our hatchet and knives a number of thorny bushes , which we piled round in a circle some fifteen yards in diameter . This was to be our headquarters for the time -- our place of refuge against sudden danger and the guard-house for our stores . Fort Challenger , we called it . It was midday before we had made ourselves secure , but the heat was not oppressive , and the general character of the plateau , both in its temperature and in its vegetation , was almost temperate . The beech , the oak , and even the birch were to be found among the tangle of trees which girt us in . One huge gingko tree , topping all the others , shot its great limbs and maidenhair foliage over the fort which we had constructed . In its shade we continued our discussion , while Lord John , who had quickly taken command in the hour of action , gave us his views .