Midnight
The expressive delight of the poor dogs on being admitted to the light of the cabin showed how ardently they longed for the return of the sun . It was now the beginning of December , and the darkness was complete . Not the faintest vestige of twilight appeared , even at noon . Midnight and noonday were alike . Except when the stars and aurora were bright , there was not light enough to distinguish a man 's form at ten paces distant , and a blacker mass than the surrounding darkness alone indicated where the high cliffs encompassed the Bay of Mercy . When , therefore , anyone came on deck , the first thing he felt on groping his way about was the cold noses of the dogs pushed against his hands , as they frisked and gambolled round him . They howled at the appearance of an accidental light , as if they hoped the sun , or at least the moon , were going to rise once more , and they rejoiced on being taken below , and leaped up in the men 's faces for sympathy , and whined , and all but spoke , with excess of satisfaction .