noon
And so in after days he found it out when he made the attempt himself , and in trying to transfer himself from one to the other ignominiously fell off , with such force that he broke through the thin ice . Fortunately he had presence of mind enough to seize hold of one of the poles , which was in such a position that each end rested on the unbroken ice . His frightened shouts soon brought help , and he was quickly rescued . Nothing else occurred to cause delay on the route , and so before noon the dogs , excited by the near approach to the spot where they had spent their happy summer , sprang into a gallop and fairly flew over the good ice that was found for the last few miles . Kinesasis and the Indian drivers had all they could do to keep up with them . With great delight did the boys spring out of their carioles , and then and there declared that dog travelling was the most exhilarating of sports and the very poetry of motion . Some time later they changed their views .