noon
If you read of St. Peter 's , they say , and then go and visit it , ten to one , you account it a dwarf compared to your high-raised ideal . And , doubtless , Jonah himself must have been disappointed when he looked up to the domed midriff surmounting the whale 's belly , and surveyed the ribbed pillars around him . A pretty large belly , to be sure , thought he , but not so big as it might have been . On the next day , the fog lifted ; and by noon , we found ourselves sailing through fleets of fishermen at anchor . They were very small craft ; and when I beheld them , I perceived the force of that sailor saying , intended to illustrate restricted quarters , or being on the limits . It is like a fisherman 's walk , say they , three steps and overboard . Lying right in the track of the multitudinous ships crossing the ocean between England and America , these little vessels are sometimes run down , and obliterated from the face of the waters ; the cry of the sailors ceasing with the last whirl of the whirlpool that closes over their craft .