noon
A fearful change came over his countenance , and he was a corpse . I hoped to be able to keep my promise , for often the only satisfaction a dying seaman has , is to know that his shipmates will faithfully carry his last messages to those he loves best on earth . The body was dragged forward into the bow of the boat , for rough as were the survivors , all esteemed Edward Seton , and no one liked to propose without necessity to throw his remains overboard before they were cold . At noon the captain took an observation , and found that since leaving the schooner the previous evening we had run about forty miles , which showed that we had been going little more than two and a half knots an hour -- for the wind had been very light all the time . Still we were far better off than if it had been blowing a gale . As , however , the day drew on , clouds began to collect in the horizon , forming heavy banks which grew darker and darker every instant . I saw the captain and mate looking at them anxiously .