OF THE OLD WORLD. 417 



air was so rare that we distinctly heard tlie clatter 

 of their hoofs against the rocks, and the rolling of 

 the pebbles they displaced, and shortly afterwards 

 we saw a flight of butterflies that followed our course 

 for some distance, frequently alighting on our per- 

 sons. The ibex were the last we saw of animal 

 life ; flowers became extremely rare, and no in- 

 sects were to be seen, for very shortly afterwards 

 we reached the eternal snow, which, to our surprise, 

 proved far easier travelling than the naked rock. 



We now tied ourselves together with ropes pro- 

 vided for the purpose, allowing about ten feet be- 

 tween each man, which proved a very necessary 

 precaution, as every now and again one or another 

 of our number would sink up to his middle in holes 

 concealed by the snow, notwithstanding we endea- 

 voured to find them out by sounding the way with 

 our staves. For several hours we continued to 

 make our way up the height, only stopping for a 

 moment now and then to refresh ourselves with a 

 mouthful of brandy, until at last we all of us began 

 to feel more or less affected with a difficulty in 

 breathing, more particularly Kuchuk, the Nubian, 

 who was by far the most powerful man amongst us. 

 This feeling wore off' after a time, returning at in- 

 tervals ; and the extreme elasticity and pureness of 

 the air prevented us from then feeling the fatigue 

 attendant on our continued exertions. I myself, 

 although often breathless from flounderino- in the 

 snow, did not at any time feel exhausted : a few 



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