82 THE ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE 



gravel flying. With slouch hat and mittened 

 hands I protected my face as best I could. A 

 few times a violent, narrow whirlwind cut un- 

 restrained into unrelated air currents. Like the 

 explosion of a cannon and by sheer speed and force, 

 it smashed its way diagonally across and through 

 other rushing winds. 



Most of the time I crawled, but occasionally 

 during a calm I rose up and ran forward a few 

 hundred feet. Except during lulls it was perilous 

 to stand erect. These winds could not be with- 

 stood by bracing. Main strength did not answer. 

 Rarely did they strike straight forward; they struck 

 on every side. Seldom was I blown over, but I 

 was kicked into the air and I was sometimes 

 knocked down or hurled to one side. 



At last I gained the air meter. It was up at 

 12,000 feet and stood where the wind simply 

 pounded through the pass. The meter cups were 

 making a blurred wheel of speed; a few times they 

 showed the wind at one hundred and seventy miles 

 an hour. 



Around me were high peaks and deep canons, 

 level plateaus and crag-torn slopes. These inter- 

 cepted and deflected the wind waves and currents. 

 Against these obstructions the powerful, invisible 

 wind hurled itself more uproariously than storm- 

 stirred sea against defying and moveless shore. 



Ever from some quarter came an unending roar. 

 Splendid were the deep sounds and thunderings, 



