Noon
or leap headlong on the rafts and render them useless ? Frequently the captain and master looked at their watches . Once more they returned to the poop , with their sextants in hand . Noon was approaching . Clouds were still passing slowly across the sky ; they might too probably rest between the sun and the ship , rendering it impossible to take an observation . The officers watched their progress . A large cloud was floating by ; would it pass onwards before the sun gained its extreme altitude ?