AN ASCENT OF THE MATTERHORN. 247 



when he cautiously clings to it from below. How- 

 ever careful we may be, some stones will fall ; and 

 while this may not hurt us, it may hurt some one 

 below us. Then occasionally some stone would 

 detach itself naturally, and go rattling down to the 

 bottom of the mountain, followed by a host of 

 smaller ones, leaving as they pass a strong " smell 

 of sulphur," which, as Whymper says, " tells us 

 who sent them." 



The Matterhorn, as I have said, is one of the 

 steepest and slipperiest of mountains, and every- 

 where it offers but scanty hold to the climber. 

 There is, however, in all this little real danger to 

 men strong of limb and steady of head, accom- 

 panied by good guides. But there is one danger 

 which is real, one which is almost constantly pres- 

 ent and against which no skill nor strength can 

 wholly guard, and that is the danger from falling 

 stones. This risk would be slight with a small 

 party, but our company of eleven, probably the 

 largest ever on the Matterhorn, made so long a line 

 that a stone loosened by the uppermost would ac- 

 quire a fearful velocity before reaching the last. 

 Not more than five persons should be on the 

 Matterhorn at once. 



The head of our column had reached the foot of 

 one of the last ropes which come down from the 

 summit, and was waiting for the others to descend. 

 One of the very last in the company was labori- 

 ously crawling over a large projecting rock, when it 

 suddenly became loosened. I remember hearing 

 some one scream " LOOK OUT ! " and then sud- 

 denly it seemed to me that all sunshine and hope 



