midday
Now , it being day , the bo ` sun bade us make such sparse breakfast as our provender allowed ; after which , having first scanned the banks to discern if any fearful thing were visible , we took again to our oars , and proceeded on our upward journey ; for we hoped presently to come upon a country where life had not become extinct , and where we could put foot to honest earth . Yet , as I have made mention earlier , the vegetation , where it grew , did flourish most luxuriantly ; so that I am scarce correct when I speak of life as being extinct in that land . For , indeed , now I think of it , I can remember that the very mud from which it sprang seemed veritably to have a fat , sluggish life of its own , so rich and viscid was it . Presently it was midday ; yet was there but little change in the nature of the surrounding wastes ; though it may be that the vegetation was something thicker , and more continuous along the banks . But the banks were still of the same thick , clinging mud ; so that nowhere could we effect a landing ; though , had we , the rest of the country beyond the banks seemed no better . And all the while , as we pulled , we glanced continuously from bank to bank ; and those who worked not at the oars were fain to rest a hand by their sheath-knives ; for the happenings of the past night were continually in our minds , and we were in great fear ; so that we had turned back to the sea but that we had come so nigh to the end of our provisions . The Ship in the Creek Then , it was nigh on to evening , we came upon a creek opening into the greater one through the bank upon our left .