noon
From among its branches sprang great sea-fans , delicate as lace-work , and showing , in striking contrast to the pure white of the coral , the most vivid reds , greens , and royal purple . These , and masses of feathery seaweeds , waved to and fro in the water as though stirred by a light breeze , and among them darted and played fish as brilliant in coloring as tropical birds . The boat seemed suspended in midair above fairy-land , and even the children gazed down over its sides in silence , for fear lest by speaking they should break the charm , and cause the wonderful picture to vanish . By noon the heat of the sun was so great that they sought shelter from it on a little island , or key , of about an acre in extent , that was covered with a luxuriant vegetation , and shaded by a group of stately cocoa-nut palms . Mr. Elmer showed Mark how to climb one of these by means of a bit of rope fastened loosely around his body and the smooth trunk of the tree , and the boy succeeded in cutting off several bunches of the great nuts that hung just below the wide-spreading crown of leaves . They came to the ground with a crash , but the thick husk in which each was enveloped saved them from breaking . The nuts were quite green , and Mr. Elmer with a hatchet cut several of them open and handed them to his wife and children .