top over some jagged rocks. As soon as I had 

 recovered the shoe, I started round the ledge. 

 When I had almost reached the jagged rocks, 

 the snow-cornice caved upon me, and not only 

 buried me, but came perilously near knocking me 

 into the depths beneath. But at last I stood upon 

 the top in safety. 



A short walk from the top brought me out 

 upon a high hill of snow that sloped steeply 

 down into the woods. The snow was soft, and I 

 sat down in it and slid "a blue streak" my blue 

 overalls recording the streak for a quarter of a 

 mile, and then came to a sudden and confusing 

 stop ; one of my webs had caught on a spine of 

 one of the dwarfed and almost buried trees at 

 timber-line. 



When I had traveled a short distance below 

 timber-line, a fearful crashing caused me to turn ; 

 I was in time to see fragments of snow flying in 

 all directions, and snow-dust boiling up in a great 

 geyser column. A snow-slide had swept down 

 and struck a granite cliff. As I stood there, an- 

 other slide started on the heights above timber, 

 and with a far-off roar swept down in awful mag- 



19 



