ten o'clock
murmured Tom . `` I 'll be glad to get there and rest ! '' and he gave a long-drawn sigh . The start was made by ten o'clock , Tom being warmly wrapped in blankets , and all the traps being piled on the drag in front and behind him . A rope had been tied fast in front and on this Wumble and Dick pulled , while Sam had hold of the drag itself , to pull and to steer . It was still bitter cold and many times on the way those hauling the drag stopped , to make sure that Tom was comfortable and in no danger of getting his nose or his ears frostbitten . Fortunately the route was largely down hill , so pulling the long drag was not such a hardship as it otherwise might have been .