chap, xi FULMAR VALLEY 169 



for a glacier tongue descending from the high ice-sheet west 

 of the valley had so frequently changed its mind, advancing 

 and retreating, that all the valley bottom and sides for about 

 a mile were piled with its rubbish entangled with broken 

 pieces of ice-foot. To make matters worse there was fossil 

 ice beneath this moraine, preserved from melting by its 

 stony cover. The mud and stones on the ice were in a 

 loose condition, cracking in some places, moving viscously 

 down steep slopes in others. It was rough walking every- 

 where, and, of course, most difficult for ponies. Rusty red 

 puddles filled occasional hollows ; torrents meandered about, 

 tunnelling and emerging at the most unexpected points. A 

 considerable river flowed along the bottom of the valley in 

 a gorge of ice through the midst of this hideous chaos. 



The survey kept me one side of the river ; exigencies of 

 the ground forced the caravan over to the other. They were 

 advancing at last with fair speed over a snow-bed which, it 

 was apparent from my position, would soon land them in 

 difficulties, for it narrowed away to nothing and ended on 

 an ice-slope, plunging direct into the river. The foolish Carl 

 was leading the way, and on he went, with all the phlegmatic 

 carelessness of a Balti coolie, till both he, the pony, and the 

 sledge began sliding downhill. It was all that Garwood 

 and Gregory could do to save them from perdition. After 

 watching this incident from afar off I rounded over a last 

 high mound of boulder-clay, and lo ! a horrid view burst 

 upon me. Hoping to see the pass close at hand, I beheld 

 instead only the interminable valley slowly bending round 

 and stretching away. If it had been desolate before, it now 

 became of a yet more dreadful desolation, surpassing anything 

 I ever saw or imagined. No view could be more simple. 

 In the midst was a river flowing between banks of ice ; on 

 either hand long slopes of naked debris stretched up in 

 unbroken sweep to a straight hill crest just edged with snow. 



