noon
I do n't wish our rivals any fatal catastrophe , but a little tough luck -- say a wing demolished ; or an engine burned out -- might not be so much to my displeasure . '' The days that followed were spent in various ways . Hunting seals and polar bears was something of an out-the-way pleasure for seafaring men . Then there were checkers and cards , besides the daily guess as to their position at noon . Strangely enough , for once in the history of Arctic currents , they found themselves being carried where they wanted to go , in a direct line for Point On-na-tak , and during the entire four days and a half there was hardly a point 's deviation from the course . On the evening of the fourth day , Dave thought he sighted land , and the midnight watch reported definitely that there was land to the port bow ; two points , one more easily discerned than the other . This news brought the whole crew on deck .