88 THE ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE 



ever calls her eloquent voice. In work and in 

 dreams she shows a thousand ways, suggests the 

 presence of wonderlands yet unseen. She pictures 

 alluring scenes in which to rest and play; in mys- 

 terious ways she sends us eagerly forth for unsealed 

 heights and fairylands. Of these she whispers, or 

 of them she sounds her bugle song. She fascinat- 

 ingly commands and charms us to other scenes. 

 We rush to respond and fix our eyes on a happy 

 horizon, toward which we hurry; but ere we reach 

 it she calls elsewhere, and elsewhere, with highest 

 hopes of a boy at play, we hasten. It was seriously 

 splendid to play with these wild winds. There is 

 no greater joy than wrestling naked handed with 

 the elements. 



My most uncertain work was a little below the 

 summit. The ridge that had shielded my crawling 

 came to an end. I was on the edge of a steep, short 

 slope that ended at the top, but this slope was 

 smooth and icy and at the bottom paid tribute to 

 a precipice. It was too slippery to climb. Across 

 it swept the deflected wind current. On the op- 

 posite side the current struck a ridge and with 

 diminished force shot upward to the summit. Ap- 

 parently this wind rushed as steadily as a mountain 

 river. It was swift enough to sweep me across; 

 but if it hesitated after I cast my lot in it, down the 

 toboggan slope I would slide. Eagerly I pushed 

 myself out into it and let go. Across it rushed me, 

 sprawling, bumping me into the rocky ridge be- 



