198 ON THE FKONTIEB. 



each side more steep and continuous, and the general direc- 

 tion of it north-west, so I felt encouraged to think I was in 

 a true pass ; still, the knowledge that we might at any time 

 be brought up standing by a precipice at our feet, or an 

 unscaleable ascent before our face, and so be compelled to 

 retrace our weary way and try another opening, with possibly 

 a like result, was very depressing. 



" By the middle of the day we were, both men and beasts, 

 quite fagged, and gladly stopped to rest and eat ; but alas ! 

 there was but the shortest commons for any of us. 



" The character of the canon had changed. It had been 

 for some time rising very rapidly, and getting so broken, 

 narrow, and full of boulders and large rocks, as to have 

 many times compelled us to leave it and scramble for con- 

 siderable distances on one or other of its steep sides, before 

 we could resume our course along it again. 



"After eating, I therefore left Laughfy and the animals 

 resting, and started for the highest neighbouring summit, to 

 try and get a glimpse of the main divide, and view out and 

 decide upon our course. 



" Half-an-hour's steep climbing took me there, and I 

 obtained a better view than I had anticipated. 



"Looking back I saw that we had attained a great 

 elevation, quite as high a one, in fact, as I had supposed 

 the summit of the range to be at. Before me I obtained a 

 view of what was probably the rim of the dividing ridge. 

 Miles away, but apparently quite close, rose a white, in- 

 accessible wall, whose sharp edge cut clear against the blue 

 sky eight hundred or one thousand feet above me. But 

 far off to my left it was broken with a deep gap, looking 



