nearly noon
His feet grew numb , and he adopted Maurice 's plan of running round in a circle . He fancied that his ears and nose were frosted , and he rubbed them with snow . A long time passed ; he wondered what had become of his companions . It was nearly noon when Maurice hurried up with his face full of consternation . `` The fire is out , '' he said , `` and we 've used the last match ! '' At this crushing news , Fred left his post and went back with Maurice , who explained what had happened . They had found a good camping-ground , where wood was abundant , and had tried to light a fire .