182 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



and cracked, as if it threatened to open under 

 our feet. Add to these perils, the chances of our 

 being frozen to death, blocked in by the snow, 

 lost in the fog, struck by lightning, or falling 

 into a sleep from which there is no awakening, 

 and on summing-up the reader will think as I did, 

 *' that we had got ourselves into a fix." Again, 

 my field-glass was put into requisition, and this 

 time my eye glanced upon a cleft or gully in the 

 side of the mountain, where the scarped faces 

 of the lower rock seemed to overhang the glacier. 

 This offered the most efficient shelter, so pointing 

 it out to my companions, I gave directions to our 

 people to make for it with all speed, and in a few 

 minutes we were gathered under the lee of a pro- 

 jecting spur. 



A moment's indecision might have proved fatal 

 to the whole party; for scarcely had we gained 

 the shelter than the huge pall of vapour that 

 seemed to be gradually descending from the 

 mountain as if it would crush us, was suddenly 

 rent asunder by some mysterious convulsion, a 

 ghastly white forked flake lighted up the gloom 



