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to cross and to descend from a high rocky spur before we could 
reach the actual base of the mountain, which meant a long day 
at least. The morning was decidedly unpromising; all the 
neighbouring heights were enshrouded with the densest-looking 
clouds. Knut said, ‘You cannot climb anything to-day.’ I 
replied that possibly at that very instant the whole of the higher 
Horungtinder were proudly holding their heads, quite clear, far 
above the clouds, and glistening in the morning sun; that the 
mists were ouly affecting the lower and insignificant mountains, 
and that we should climb above them. My aneroid had gone up 
too. I have frequently known this condition of affairs in both 
Norway and Switzerland. On one occasion, in 1879, several of 
us mountaineers were staying at The Riffel Hotel. One morning, 
five separate parties set off at about two a.m. for different expe- 
ditions. Zermatt, far below, was invisible, the clouds stuck 
tenaciously to the valley, and the mountaineers there, who had 
looked out early, turned into bed again, and were fearfully 
jealous of us at The Riffel, who had all been successful. To 
resume, Knut was tired as well, owing to a succession of 
uncomfortable nights. But go we must, I engaging to carry 
both my own rope and one of Knut’s. We were soon on our 
way, at first through rich, though late, pasture land, beautified 
by groves of silvery birch and pines. Amongst the rocks we 
found many big plants of the Angelica archangelica, each of 
which,. however, had its top eaten off by the bears, whose 
fod spor was plainly visible where there was soft earth near 
the plants. A steep zig-zagging cattle path led us_ beside 
the Maradal Fos, a fine cataract, into Maradal, a short valley 
headed by a magnificent glacier, out of which rise the Titanic 
walls of the Styggedalstind, upon whose snowy crest we had been 
the previous day. ‘The top of the mountain actually overhangs 
the glacier, and we had heaved over many immense rocks into 
the abyss below, and, when a break in the clouds allowed of it, 
we accurately timed the aerial flight of the rocks from the ledge 
-at the top, over which we simply just dropped them, until they 
struck the ice some distance from the base of the rock, and 
‘found repeatedly the time to be 94 seconds. The actual calcula- 
tion for 93 seconds gives 1,440 feet, but I knock off the odd 40 
feet in order to avoid exaggeration, and to allow for the time 
occupied by light in travelling. We judged by sight alone; one 
of us was held by the legs, and so leaned over the edge and 
watched the fall. I have been on much higher precipices—on 
the Weisshorn, for instance, but never on one so high which was 
actually overhanging. Two other mighty obelisks—the Mara- 
dalstinder—both ledgeless and herbless, spring from out of this 
glacier, yet unascended, and two fine passes, not made as yet, 
invite the adventurer. Another fine peak was climbed last year 
