About midnight
Full of sympathy for his comrade 's suffering , the Yankee lad at once set to work to make him as comfortable as circumstances would permit , and soon had him lying on a sleeping bag , in a niche formed by two uptilted slabs of ice . Profiting by past experience , they had procured and brought with them an Eskimo lamp with its moss wick , a small quantity of seal oil , and a supply of matches , so that , after a while , Cabot procured enough boiling water to furnish a small pot of tea . When they had eaten their simple meal of tea , hard bread , and pemmican , White 's ankle was bathed with water as hot as he could bear it , and then the weary lads turned in for such sleep as their cheerless quarters might yield . About midnight the wind that had for many days blown steadily from the eastward changed to northwest , and , with the coming of daylight , it was blowing half a gale from that direction . To Cabot this change meant little or nothing , and he was suggesting that they remain where they were until White 's leg should be thoroughly rested , when the other interrupted him with : `` But we ca n't stay here . Do n't you feel the change of wind ? '' `` What of it ? ''