chap vi LOW SOUND 



99 



added in our case to this effect of breadth. Cold looked the 

 snows, enormous the great glacier snout in front, mysterious 

 the slow bend of the great valley, and the tantalising secret 

 of the hidden regions behind. Could we but climb Stortind 

 on a fine day these would all be revealed. We noted it as 

 a point more than ever worthy of attainment. Garwood 

 took a round of photographs, I of compass bearings ; then 

 we turned our backs on the scene and set forward to return. 



One thing we agreed upon ; we would not follow our 

 old tracks. I went down to the immediate margin of the 

 stream, and found good ice overhanging the torrent, but 

 strong enough to bear. Along this progress was easy. Gar- 

 wood climbed high up the hill-side to the level of the old 

 moraine, where also he got on well enough. The result was 

 a divergence too wide to be advisable in such a remote 

 region, so I presently climbed up to him, and we journeyed 

 on together. It is needless to recount the details of the 

 way. We had less snow bog to wade through, but more 

 laborious work of other sorts, for we struck the great ter- 

 minal moraines of the glacier we passed the previous day too 

 high up, and had to mount and descend over them, then to 

 come down just under the snout, reascend the big moraine 

 on the farther side, again descending to a slushy snow flat, 

 where all the worst features of the previous day's struggles 

 were renewed. There was much survey work to be done, 

 and many observations to be made. We were weary, and 

 our backs protested against their loads. Feet, sodden for 

 long hours, became tender. The pace grew slower and 

 slower. About two p.m. we reached Bolter Pass (1340 feet), 

 and saw far away to the north the site of Bolter Camp. 

 We were regretfully driven to acknowledge that ponies 

 could not be dragged over this route till quite late in the 

 season, if then. Possibly it may never be practicable for 

 them. We were too tired to be much disappointed. Indeed, 



