midday
To make matters worse , this dangerous river travel could not be done in the dark , and their working day was reduced to the six hours of twilight . Every moment was precious , and they strove never to lose one . Thus , before the first hint of the coming of gray day , camp was broken , sled loaded , dogs harnessed , and the two men crouched waiting over the fire . Nor did they make the midday halt to eat . As it was , they were running far behind their schedule , each day eating into the margin they had run up . There were days when they made fifteen miles , and days when they made a dozen . And there was one bad stretch where in two days they covered nine miles , being compelled to turn their backs three times on the river and to portage sled and outfit over the mountains .