Across the Roof of the World, 



the East when clear weather is the order of the day, so there was 

 still a chance something might be recovered. 



Judging from the mist and clouds enveloping the pass and 

 the ravine below it the evening before, I had looked upon a fall 

 of snow as highly probable. This would have rendered the 

 search doubly severe, since most of the articles might have been 

 buried, and all traces of the yak's descent obliterated. But 

 luckily for me ncjthing untoward happened, and with fine 

 weather to carry out operations I confidently expected to see 

 again some of my missing goods and chattels. 



The first thing we found after commencing the upward 

 march in line was a copy of Napoleon's Memoirs with the cover 

 torn off, and after this articles came to hand fairly fast, 

 including, amongst others, a History of the Russo-Japanese 

 War, with the maps out and scattered about over the icy 

 slope. Shortly after our own arrival we sighted the Kirghiz 

 reinforcements coming rapidly up the narrow ravine. They 

 had reached the yurt soon after my departure, pushing on at 

 once to my assistance, mounted on fresh yaks, who tackled 

 the rocks and boulders in a way that did one good to see. 

 These men were in charge of a most excellent Beg, or head man, 

 and getting them into line we worked gradually up the slope. 

 There were fourteen all told, the new arrivals, armed with ropes 

 and ice axes, wearing a business-like air. It was impossible to do 

 anything on the frozen slope without the aid of ropes and ice 

 axes. 



We found the yak fully 2,500 feet below the summit, wedged 

 in between blocks of ice, with his head jammed in a tiny crevasse 

 through which raced an icy cataract. He was naturally in a 

 mutilated condition, pieces of skin having been torn off from 

 contact with jagged rocks, and several teeth missing, some of 

 which the Kirghiz actually found during the subsequent search. 

 The tremendous distance he fell must have broken every bone in 

 his body. Not a vestige of the two boxes attached to him 

 remained, only the loading ropes still traihng by his side. 

 • 106 



