182 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 



try again. Prudence was at my elbow, whispering 

 dissuasion ; but, taking everything into account, it 

 appeared more immoral to retreat than to proceed. 

 Instructed by the first misadventure, I once more 

 entered the stream. Had the alpenstock been of iron 

 it might have helped me ; but, as it was, the tendency 

 of the water to sweep it out of my hands rendered it 

 worse than useless. I, however, clung to it by habit. 

 Again the torrent rose, and again I wavered ; but, by 

 keeping the left hip well against it, I remained upright, 

 and at length grasped the hand of my leader at the 

 other side. He laughed pleasantly. The first victory 

 was gained, and he enjoyed it. ' No traveller,' he said, 

 * was ever here before.' Soon afterwards, by trusting 

 to a piece of drift-wood which seemed firm, I was again 

 taken off my feet, but was immediately caught by a 

 protruding rock. 



We clambered over the boulders towards the thickest 

 spray, which soon became so weighty as to cause us to 

 stagger under its shock. For the most part nothing 

 could be seen ; we were in the midst of bewildering 

 tumult, lashed by the water, which sounded at times 

 like the cracking of innumerable whips. Underneath 

 this was the deep resonant roar of the cataract. I 

 tried to shield my eyes with my hands, and look up- 

 wards ; but the defence was useless. The guide con- 

 tinued to- move on, but at a certain place he halted, 

 desiring me to take shelter in his lee, and observe 

 the cataract. The spray did not come so much from 

 the upper ledge, as from the rebound of the shattered 

 water when it struck the bottom. Hence the eyes 

 could be protected from the blinding shock of the 

 spray, while the line of vision to the upper ledges 

 remained to some extent clear. On looking upwards 

 over the guide's shoulder I could see the water bending 



