I'KAKS AND 1 'ASSES 379 



waixls sueli a fate is hclicwMl lo have ovoi'take'ii a )iart\ 

 of seven. We literally cre])t aloni^ the siiowv iicck. 

 (tftrii st(i]>]iiii^' to cliiiu' \vit1i hands and feet, until some 

 lihist (if .■>ur|)assiiig t'iii'\' had spcnl itscli". and sonic- 

 limes even astride ot'thc tliin knifc-cilMC. In fari. in ihis 

 ii;-nominious position, we finally arrived at the top, half 

 ehoked and w holl\ dazed li\' the whirling mist of snow- 

 dust. 



The sunnnit of the Jiionnassay is nut a iiet'dle, as tlie 

 jiame imjtlies hnt a seimitar-sha])ed ridge. AVe were un- 

 certain wliiidi point in tliis ridge was the actual summit ; 

 but a partial clearance, which occurre(l a few minutes later 

 removed all douht that we had passed it, when the 

 delicate white blade — for such it looked like — fell away 

 in front, and then dived downwards to describe the trreat 

 catenar\' curve, nearlv two miles lone", bv w]d(di our ])eak 

 is cojinected with the Dome. It was by this hiehwav 

 tliat we had hojied to esca])e. a)id we liad ex]iecte(l the 

 ridge to be conipai'at i \ (d v le\(d, as indeed iVom below it 

 a])pears to be. I'erhaps, we were confused by the lilizzard. 

 or oui' nerves niav liavc been shaken by the strain of 

 fifteen hours' contiinmus toib (V'rtain it is, tliat the 

 mnnient the natui'c of the ridge was revealed to us, our 

 ofuides rccnihd from it. and we had no nioi-(^, stomach foi' 

 it tlian thev. One of my comiianions, who knows most of 

 the nastiest ])lnces between the hauphim- and the '" l'rost\' 

 Caucasus,' afterwards described it in lie' Al i>nn' .J,,ii rnal 

 as "the most terrifii- tiling he had ever seen in the Alps." 

 And so it was to us, foi'. ;dlli(Migli if we had had a re^crxc 

 of force and ample time, wo might liaxc elfeeted the 

 assnge in safety, it was now neaiK' four o'elo(d; in the 



