SNOW-BLIND ON MOUNT KENIA 259 



possible. Only a short distance had been trav- 

 ersed when the drift seemed to descend more 

 rapidly than I had anticipated. A few more 

 steps and it was so steep that there was danger 

 of slipping. Was it possible that I had so soon 

 wandered from my course? It must be so, for 

 certainly I had not passed over such a grade 

 that afternoon. 



"I turned and, dropping on my hands and 

 knees, started to climb back, but slipped and 

 fell upon my face and then began to slide. Roll- 

 ing over on my back I tried to dig my heels 

 into the hard crust. This swayed my body 

 around, and the next instant I was scooting 

 over the crust head down. Then the stock of 

 my gun cut through the crust and retarded my 

 progress enough to swing me back until I lay 

 in an upright position, but the next instant the 

 stock lost its grip and once more I descended 

 head foremost. 



"Spinning round and round in this manner, 

 first to one side, then to the other, I whizzed 

 over the snow until the air whistled in my ears, 

 and I became so dazed that I could scarcely 

 tell when I was right side up and when not. 



"The uppermost thought in my mind was: 



