noon
He had a canoe and a tent cached in that silent valley , but for these alone he would not return . Neither the ownership of that timber which he now esteemed of doubtful value nor the event of its sale would require his presence there . He continued to stare with an absent look in his eyes until a crook in the Inlet hid those white escarpments and outstanding peaks , and the Inlet walls -- themselves lifting to dizzy heights that were shrouded in rolling mist -- marked the limit of his visual range . The ship 's bell tinkled the noon hour . A white-jacketed steward walked the decks , proclaiming to all and sundry that luncheon was being served . Hollister made his way to the dining saloon . The steamer was past Salmon Bay when he returned above decks to lean on the rail , watching the shores flit by , marking with a little wonder the rapid change in temperature , the growing mildness in the air as the steamer drew farther away from the gorge-like head of Toba with its aerial ice fields and snowy slopes .