midday
`` If they were , we should have heard of it . It may pay to strike around , more or less , but I believe in giving a claim a fair trial before abandoning it . '' Less than a week later it began to snow again . The sky was heavy , and even at midday it did not brighten up . They had gone down to the gulch directly after breakfast , but now returned to the cabin , to fix up the stovepipe as previously mentioned , and to cut enough small wood to last for several weeks . All were hard at work when they saw two white men and two Indians approaching , the latter driving before them two dog teams attached to a pair of Alaskan sledges , piled high with miners ' outfits . The two men were Dr. Barwaithe and Captain Zoss .