Qlainp 



Now the rain almost ceased, and I began to 

 descend. The upper gentle slopes were com- 

 pletely covered with a filmy sheet of clear water 

 which separated into tattered torrents and took 

 on color. These united and grew in size as they 

 progressed from the top, and each was separated 

 from its companions by ridges that widened and 

 gulches that deepened as down the sides they 

 went. The waters carried most of the eroded 

 material away, but here and there, where they 

 crossed a comparatively level stretch, small de- 

 posits of gravel were made or sandbars and del- 

 tas formed. 



Occasionally I saw miniature landslides, and, 

 hoping for a larger one to move, I hurried down- 

 ward. Knowing that the soil is often deep at the 

 foot of crags on account of contributions from 

 above, together with the protection from erosion 

 which the cliffs gave, I endeavored to find such a 

 place. While searching, I had occasion to jump 

 from a lower ledge on a cliff to the deposit below. 

 The distance to the slope and its real pitch were 

 minimized by the mists. After shooting through 

 the air for at least thrice the supposed distance 



281 



