noon
There was folly in such contemplation at such a time , when perhaps at this hour to-morrow the chests might be at the bottom of the sea , and myself a drowned sailor floating three hundred fathoms deep . But man is a froward child , who builds mansions out of dreams , and , jockeyed by hope , sets out at a gallop along the visionary road to his desires ; and my mind was so much taken up with considering how I should manage when I brought the treasure home , that I spent a couple of hours in a conflict of schemes , during which time it never once occurred to me to reflect that I was a good way from home still , and that much must happen before I need give myself the least concern as to the securing of the treasure . Nothing worth recording happened that day . The wind slackened , and the ice travelled so slow that at sundown I could not discover that we had made more than a quarter of a mile of progress to the north since noon , though we had settled by half as much again that distance westwards . Whilst I was below I could hear the ice crackling pretty briskly round about the ship , which gave me some comfort ; but I could never see any change of consequence when I looked over the side or bows , only that at about four o'clock , whilst I was taking a view from the forecastle , a large block broke away from beyond the starboard bow with the report of a swivel gun . I had not closed my eyes on the previous night , and was tired out when the evening arrived , and , as no good could come of my keeping a watch , for the simple reason that it was not in my power to avert anything that might happen , I tumbled some further covering over the Frenchman , who had lain on the deck all the afternoon , sometimes dozing , sometimes waking and talking to himself , and appearing on the whole very easy and comfortable , and went to my cabin . I slept sound the whole night through , and on waking went on deck before going to the cook-house and lighting the furnace -LRB- as was my custom -RRB- , so impatient was I to observe our state and to hear such news as the ocean had for me .