noon
Then they saw him draw up and wait , as though , having demonstrated the ability of his motor to do good work , caution again dictated that he keep in touch with the supply boat and the pilot craft . That day was the easiest of the week . They had an open passage nearly all the way to the bay , the weather was all that could be asked ; and the rest did seem so fine after so much hard labor with push poles . `` If this sort of thing would only keep up , '' Nick remarked , as they landed on a sandspit to make a fire and have a pot of hot coffee at noon , in order to cheer things up , `` I 'd have some hope of getting back to my former condition again . '' `` Well , if that means taking up any more room aboard my boat , '' grunted George , `` I hope you wo n't do it . Things are getting to a pass now that I 'm feeling squeezed half the time . Some day we hope you 're going to have that ferryboat made to order , as you 've been threatening .