A DATsGEROUS SITUATION. 51 



than the shorter one. Every story of Swiss 

 mountaineering which I had ever read flashed 

 through my brain, and sticking to my alpen- 

 stock I drove the point with both hands into 

 the snow between my legs in front of me. 

 But thouo:h the haft was of seasoned box- 

 wood, it snapped so short and suddenly that I 

 never felt the shock of it. Clinging to w^hat 

 was left, I now saw just at the crutch of the 

 two leo-s a bio^ stone welded into the snow. 



Using my broken stick with all my might 

 as a pole, I tried to punt myself away from the 

 short road to destruction towards which I was 

 rushing headlong, and so succeeded that get- 

 ting my foot against the stone, before I could 

 draw another breath I was whirling oiF the 

 end of the longer limb into a bed of snow 

 beneath. 



Clean out of sight I sank, but though 

 breathless, shaken, and blinded, I crawled out 

 again in a few moments practically unhurt, 

 E 2 



