INTRODUCTION. 21 



time he had spent in climbing, had brought back to him his old 

 vigour, and that his illness was already a thing of the past. 



There is no reason to believe that he regarded the expedition 

 as one of unusual peril ; and an incident which at the time of his 

 death was thought by some to indicate this was in reality 

 nothing more than a proof of his kindly foresight. The guide 

 Petrus was burdened by a debt on his land amounting to 

 about ^150. In the previous year Balfour and his brother had 

 come to know of this debt ; and, seeing that no Alpine ascent 

 is free from danger, that on any expedition some accident 

 might carry them off, had conceived the idea of making 

 some provision for Petrus' family in case he might meet 

 with sudden death in their service. This suggestion of 

 the previous year Balfour carried out on this occasion, and 

 sent home to his brother Gerald a cheque of 150 for this 

 purpose. But the cheque was sent from Montanvert before he 

 had even conceived the idea of ascending the Aiguille Blanche. 



o o 



It was not a provision for any specially dangerous ascent, and 

 must be regarded as a measure prompted not by a sense of coming 

 peril but rather by the donor's generous care for his servant. 



On Tuesday afternoon, July 18, he and Petrus, with a porter 

 to carry provisions and firing to their sleeping-place on the 

 rocks, set out from Courmayeur, the porter returning the same 

 night. They expected to get back to Courmayeur some time 

 on the Thursday, but the day passed without their appearing. 

 This did not cause any great anxiety because it was 

 supposed that they might have found it more convenient to 

 pass over to the Chamonix side than to return to Cour- 

 mayeur. When on Friday however telegrams dispatched to 

 Chamonix and Montanvert brought answers that nothing had 

 been seen of them, it became evident that some accident had 

 happened, and an exploring party set out for the hills. It was 

 not until early on the Sunday morning that this search party 

 found the bodies, both partly covered with snow, lying on the 

 Glacier de Fresney, below the impassable icefall which sepa- 

 rates the upper basin of the glacier from the lower portion, 

 and at the foot of a couloir which descends by the side of the 

 icefall. Their tracks were visible on the snow at the top of 

 the couloir. Balfour's neck was broken, and his skull fractured 



