noon
Early in the morning scores of people came to the ship for drinking-water , many of the streams and wells in the village having been choked . About five inches of ashes had fallen . The captain of the _ Bear _ started the evaporators going , to provide drinking-water for the folk ashore . Shortly before noon the ashes began to fall again , even more heavily than before . When Eric came up from below after lunch , the air was so full of a heavy gritty ash that it was impossible to see the length of the ship . The _ Bear _ was evidently in a place of danger and there was no means of determining what was happening or what would happen . `` Do you suppose we 'll strike out to sea ? ''