About noon
Only a few words were uttered now and then when Nigel asked the name of a point or peak which rose in the distance on either hand . It seemed as if the quiescence of sea and air had fallen like a soft mantle on the party and subdued them into an unusually sluggish frame of mind . They passed through the Sunda Straits between Sumatra and Java -- not more at the narrowest part than about thirteen miles wide -- and , in course of time , found themselves in the great island-studded archipelago beyond . About noon they all seemed to wake up from their lethargic state . Van der Kemp laid down his paddle , and , looking round , asked Nigel if he felt tired . `` Not in the least , '' he replied , `` but I feel uncommonly hungry , and I have just been wondering how you manage to feed when at sea in so small a craft . '' `` Ho !