454 The Bearded Vulture 
proceeded to take an exhaustive series of views of egg and nest 
at 22, 2 and rd ft. distance. 
I now had to decide upon my line of retreat. The extreme 
end of the Alpine rope dangled just level with the nest, showing 
that I was almost exactly roo ft. below my assistant and I reckoned 
he was about 150 ft. below Hamond (as it turned out he was some- 
what less). As my 2-inch rope measured 300 ft., I calculated I 
could count on about 50 ft. to take me downward and the friendly 
terrace below me was certainly not more than 60 ft. Anyway it was 
worth a trial. So I cautiously unbent the rope which encircled me 
and was secured to the canvas sling and made it fast to the thimbles 
on the sling at its extreme point so as to utilize all the rope 
I could. By this means, including the slack I had coiled down in 
the nest, I gained some 1o to 12 ft. Grasping the rope firmly, 
I signalled Stand-by” and as I felt it tauten I slid out of the 
nest and in a moment of sheer thoughtlessness, begot of my 
success, sounded ‘‘ Lower away.” The instant the rope began 
to run out, I realized I had made a serious error for I was 
descending at speed with my whole weight on my hands or 
rather on my one sound arm. There was no time for thought, 
still less for any signalling and I did the only possible thing, 
namely quickly lowered myself hand over hand until I felt 
the sling take the weight of my body, as it should have 
done in the first instance. Thus occupied [I was naturally 
unable to steady myself or minimize the gyration of the rope and 
I rattled down, now banging one camera now the other and now 
the box containing the precious egg, as well as my knees and 
elbows against the cliff until I landed with a bump on the rocks 
below, all well but somewhat shattered. My left arm for a time 
was quite numb and useless, not having had such a_ strain 
put upon it since | was so badly smashed at Graspan in 1899. 
A short rest however brought me round and as I| disengaged 
