52 THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS 



and finally passed by a very narrow bridge — hardly 

 broader than the sledges — into the glacier. On each 

 side of the bridge, one looked down into a deep blue 

 chasm. To cross here did not look very inviting; no 

 doubt we could take the dogs out and haul the sledges 

 over, and thus manage it — presuming the bridge held — 

 but our further progress, which would have to be made 

 on the glacier, would apparently offer many surprises 

 of an unpleasant kind. It was quite possible that, with 

 time and patience, one would be able to tack through 

 the aj^parently endless succession of deep crevasses; but 

 we should first have to see whether something better 

 than this could not be found in another direction. We 

 therefore returned to camp. 



Here in the meantime everything had been put in 

 order, the tent set up, and the dogs fed. Now came 

 the great question: What was there on the other side 

 of the ridge? Was it the same desperate confusion, or 

 would the ground off'er better facilities? Three of us 

 went off to see. Excitement rose as we neared the 

 saddle ; so much depended on finding a reasonable way. 

 One more pull and we were up; it was worth the 

 trouble. The first glance showed us that this was the 

 way we had to go. The mountain-side ran smooth and 

 even under the lofty summit — like a gabled church 

 tower — of Mount Don Pedro Christophersen, and 

 followed the direction of the glacier. We could see 

 the place where this long, even surface united with the 



