noon
`` Then we had amusements of all sorts . We rigged a theatre on board , and acted plays and recited , and had a masquerade , and funny sort of dresses we appeared in . But we had work to do also ; we had to build a wall of snow round the ship , so that in cold weather we were protected from the wind when we took our exercise , running round and round inside it . The worst part of the business was the long night and the bitter cold , for it was cold , I can tell you ; and glad enough we were when we saw the sun rising just above the hillocks of ice far away to the southward , and though for some time it was for a very short period above the horizon , yet day after day at noon it appeared higher and higher , and its rays shed some warmth down upon us . `` Still the winter was not over , and our captain arranged to make some journeys to explore the country . In that part of the world dogs are often used to draw sleighs , but as we had no dogs we were compelled to drag them ourselves , about five men to each sleigh , which is a sort of long carriage without wheels , with iron runners like two skates placed under it , and the goods lashed along on the top . We carried our provisions , tents , and cooking utensils .