noon
Treacherous coral reefs extend that far out to sea , and the lights of the passage into port are few . This is an ugly part of the Caribbean in high seas . Moreover , the coral has a way of changing its ramifications ; its spires build rapidly in the warm surface water . All the forenoon the liner crawled in toward the harbor , and at last through the blazing noon , Bedient saw Coral City in a foreground of palm-decked hills . Certain fresh-tinned roofs close to the water-front reflected the sun like a burning-glass . Nearer still , a few white buildings on the seaward slopes shone through the heat haze with the vividness of jewels -- whitened walls gleaming among the palms and colorful turrets of pure Spanish line . The strip of beach , white as a road of shells , lost itself on either side of the city in its own dazzling light .