PEAKS AXl^ PASSES :v.).-. 



always SO ari'anuvd lliat (Hir wciu'lit sIkuiM l>f di-t lihiitcd 

 over iiiaiiv })t)ints of support, aiul our safety lu-vcr allowed 

 to do])('nd on the stal)ilitv of one (whidi is tlie secret (^f 

 safet \' in a Itad place), we reaclic(l the fdot of tli(3 ice 

 clitl", and ]»ausin^ a moment under the sheHerinL!,' cave 

 foinietl h\- a larLi'e frauinent, to stretch ourselves, and to 

 recover (Jionc's hat, which lay on the snow close at hand, 

 we started and ran as fast as we could (tver the remains 

 of a\'alanches which coNci'cd some acres ol' the ulacicr. 

 till we were out of their range. AVe kept down the 

 middh' of the ( llacier whose fortunes we had unwittingly 

 tollowe(l. instead of those of the Miage Glacier, into 

 whose (h'cp straight ti'ough it jtours. Soon we came tt) 

 the top of an icel'aU. This was not ap})arently ol" any 

 great ditlieull w and the Chamouniard of course proposed 

 that we should make oui' way down it. hut the German, 

 as was his nature to, chose the rocks on llie left hank. 



I cannot say for certain that we should have done better 

 on the glacier. Imt it so(»ii hecame (n-ident that, as it was, 

 we had no jono-er an\' i-liain-e of o'etliu" clear of the ice 

 before night. The I'ocks jiroved more oljstinate than we 

 ant iei[iate(l, , -Mill . though we encountered no great dillicull \\ 

 it was repeatedly necessary to detach the ])aity and use 

 tlie whole rope to let them down one b\- (Uie. like sacks. 

 o\er some steep face of rock or aw kwaril h'dgi'. to surer 

 footing below. Time ]>nssed (piickly, and our pr(»gress 

 was slow. Another night biN-nuai- secnii'd now iiii'\-it- 

 able, and we bcii'an to limk about au\iMU>l\' \i'V a taxdurable 

 place to Spend it iii. Tie locks we wei-e on wouM not 

 do at all. as they were far too steep to allow of stamping 

 about in the night, a most ini[ioitant . it' not essential 



