About five in the evening
Snow had fallen in great abundance and was not yet frozen over ; and this delayed them seriously . They often sank to their waists , and could only advance very cautiously , for fear of falling into crevices . Penellan , who walked in front , carefully sounded each depression with his iron-pointed staff . About five in the evening the fog began to thicken , and the little band were forced to stop . Penellan looked about for an iceberg which might shelter them from the wind , and after refreshing themselves , with regrets that they had no warm drink , they spread their skins on the snow , wrapped themselves up , lay close to each other , and soon dropped asleep from sheer fatigue . The next morning Jean Cornbutte and his companions were buried beneath a bed of snow more than a foot deep . Happily their skins , perfectly impermeable , had preserved them , and the snow itself had aided in retaining their heat , which it prevented from escaping .