noon
They did not speak again for hours , Tayoga leading the way , and each bending somewhat to his task , which was by no means a light one , owing to the weight they carried , and the extremely mountainous nature of the country . The wilderness was still and intensely cold . The deep snow was covered by a crust of ice , and , despite vigorous exertion and warm clothing , they were none too warm . By noon Robert 's ankle , not thoroughly hardened to the snowshoes , began to chafe , and they stopped to rest in a dense grove , where the searching north wind was turned aside from them . They were traveling by the sun for the south end of Lake George , but as they were in the vast plexus of mountains , where their speed could not be great , even under the best of conditions , they calculated that they would be many days and nights on the way . They stayed fully an hour in the shelter of the trees , and an hour later came to a frozen lake over which the traveling was easy , but after they had passed it they entered a land of close thickets , in which their progress was extremely slow . At night , the cold was very great , but , as they scooped out a deep hollow in the snow , though they attempted no fire , they were able to keep warm within their bearskins .