noon
So he expected to find the home of the hermit-scientist high up in the wall on the Eastern side of the Grand Canyon . First he intended heading toward the East , and going just as far as they could . Days , and perhaps weeks , might be spent in the search for the strange cave that had once been the home of those mysterious cliff people , which cavern Professor Oswald was occupying while studying the lives and customs of the long departed people who had dug these dwellings out of the rock . At noon they had made good progress ; but when the tremendous size of that two hundred mile canyon was taken into consideration , with its myriad of side `` washes , '' and minor canyons , the distance that they had covered was , as Bob aptly declared , but a `` flea-bite '' compared with the whole . And Frank declared time and again it had been a lucky thought that caused his chum to suggest that they bring the field glasses along . They were in almost constant use . Far distant scenes were brought close , and high walls could be examined in a way that must have been impossible with the naked eye .