noon
Nevertheless , silent and uncomplaining , he came and sat down quietly by the side of Arthur in the stern . As the day advanced , the heat became dreadful . We had not suffered much from it the day before , on account of the fresh breeze which had prevailed ; but now , not a breath of air was stirring , and the glassy sea reflected back upon us the scorching rays of the sun , with increased intensity . Towards noon , it exceeded any thing I had ever experienced . The whole arch of the heavens glowed with a hot and coppery glare . It seemed as though instead of one sun , there were ten thousand , covering all the sky , and blending their rays into a broad canopy of fire . The air was like that of an oven : the water had no coolness , no refreshing quality ; it was tepid and stagnant : no living thing was to be seen near the surface , for life could not be sustained there ; and the fishes , great and small , kept themselves in the cooler depths , far below .