noon
The doctor might have escaped this intense heat by rising into a higher range , but , in order to do so , he would have had to consume a large quantity of water , a thing that had now become impossible . He contented himself , therefore , with keeping the balloon at one hundred feet from the ground , and , at that elevation , a feeble current drove it toward the western horizon . The breakfast consisted of a little dried meat and pemmican . By noon , the Victoria had advanced only a few miles . `` We can not go any faster , '' said the doctor ; `` we no longer command -- we have to obey . '' `` Ah ! doctor , here is one of those occasions when a propeller would not be a thing to be despised . ''