132 THE ASCENT. 



who were dragging the sledge, I found myself, with- 

 out any warning, suddenly sinking through the snow, 

 and was only saved by holding firmly to a wooden 

 staff which I carried over my shoulder, fearful that 

 such a misadventure might befall me. The staff 

 spanned the opening and supported me until I could 

 scramble out. The crack may not have been very 

 deep, but, not having found any support for my feet, 

 I felt glad to have been able to postpone the solution 

 of the interesting scientific question, as to whether 

 these fissures extend entirely through the body of the 

 glacier, to some future occasion. 



As we neared the centre of the glacier the surface 

 became more smooth, and gave evidence of greater 

 security. The great roughness of the sides was no 

 doubt due to an uneven conformation of that portion 

 of the valley upon which the ice rested. 



Journeying then about five miles, we pitched our 

 tent upon the ice, and, turning into it, after a hearty 

 supper of hash, bread, and coffee, we slept soundly, — 

 being too much fatigued to give thought to the tem- 

 perature, which had fallen several degrees lower than 

 during the previous night. 



On the following day we traveled thirty miles ; and 

 the ascent, which, during the last march, had been at 

 an angle of about 6°, diminished gradually to about 

 one third of that angle of elevation ; and from a sur- 

 face of hard ice we had come upon an even plain of 

 compacted snow, through which no true ice could be 

 found after digging down to the depth of three feet. 

 At that depth, however, the snow assumed a more 

 icy condition, and, although not actually ice, we 

 could not penetrate further into it with our shovel 

 without great difficulty. The snow was covered with 



