A DANGEROUS DESCENT 37 



the sailors named Spinks, who was out with a party in 

 pursuit of reindeer. The ardour of the chase had led 

 them beyond the prescribed limits, and when the 

 signal was made for their return to the boat some of 

 them were upon the top of a hill. Spinks, an active 

 and zealous fellow, anxious to be first at his post, 

 thought he would outstrip his comrades by descending 

 the snow, which was banked against the mountain at 

 an angle of about 40 with the horizon, and rested 

 against a small glacier on the left. The height was 

 about two thousand feet, and in the event of his foot 

 slipping there was nothing to impede his progress until 

 he reached the beach, either by the slope or the more 

 terrific descent of the face of the glacier. He began 

 his career by digging his heels into the snow, the 

 surface of which was rather hard. At first he got on 

 very well, but presently his foot slipped, or the snow 

 was too hard for his heel to make an impression, and 

 he increased in speed, keeping his balance, however, by 

 means of his hands. In a very short time his descent 

 was fearfully quick ; the fine snow flew about him like 

 dust, and there seemed but little chance of his reach- 

 ing the bottom in safety, especially as his course was 

 taking him in the direction of the glacier. For a 

 moment he was lost sight of behind a crag of the 

 mountain, and it was thought he had gone over the 

 glacier, but with great presence of mind and dexterity, 

 " by holding water first with one hand and then the 

 other," to use his own expression, he contrived to 

 escape the danger, and, like a skilful pilot, steered into 

 a place of refuge amid a bed of soft snow recently 

 drifted against the hill. When he extricated himself 



