noon
Och ! its pleasant to think of them childer having their will , for once , on such a power of wild , savage bir-r-ds ! '' Captain Willoughby smiled at this proof of _ naiveté _ in his new domestic , and then led his wife back to the hut ; if being time to make some fresh dispositions for the approaching movement . By noon , it became apparent to those who were waiting such an event , that the lake was opening ; and , about the same time , one of the hunters came in from a neighbouring mountain , and reported that he had seen clear water , as near their position as three or four miles . By this time it was blowing fresh , and the wind , having a clear rake , drove up the honeycomb - looking sheet before it , as the scraper accumulates snow . When the sun set , the whole north shore was white with piles of glittering icicles ; while the bosom of the Otsego , no longer disturbed by the wind , resembled a placid mirror . Early on the following morning , the whole party embarked .