midday
Shall we take some for breakfast ? '' And without waiting for a reply to this proposal , knowing that it would be approved of , the sailor and Neb detached a quantity of the molluscs . They put them in a sort of net of hibiscus fiber , which Neb had manufactured , and which already contained food ; they then continued to climb the coast between the downs and the sea . From time to time Harding consulted his watch , so as to be prepared in time for the solar observation , which had to be made exactly at midday . All that part of the island was very barren as far as the point which closed Union Bay , and which had received the name of Cape South Mandible . Nothing could be seen there but sand and shells , mingled with debris of lava . A few sea-birds frequented this desolate coast , gulls , great albatrosses , as well as wild duck , for which Pencroft had a great fancy .