noon
In a timid way , even , his eyes expressed satisfaction . For a week or two I let him alone , and then was forced to speak . It happened in this way . We had spun merrily along the tail of the S.E. trades and glided slowly to a standstill on a glassy ocean , and beneath a sun that at noon left us shadowless . A fluke or two of wind had helped us across the line ; but now , in 2 ° 27 ' north latitude , the _ Midas _ slept like a turtle on the greasy sea . The heat of the near African coast seemed to beat like steam against our faces . The pitch bubbled like caviare in the seams of the white deck , and the shrouds and ratlines ran with tears of tar .