198 ASCENT OF KAZBEK. 



the moonliglit view of the great glacier and ice-mailed 

 peaks around, and the glorious sunrise-flush which soon 

 succeeded it. We mounted along gentle snow-slopes 

 between the glacier and the mass of Kazbek, and gradually 

 rounded the base of the eastern peak of the mountain. 

 Arrived at some rocks, beyond which the tributary glacier 

 from between the two summits joined the main stream, 

 we halted to put on the rope, and Moore left his new 

 Cardigan waistcoat under a rock, intending to pick it up 

 on our return. As will be seen we never did return. 



We now began to climb the face of the mountain — at first 



by rocks, afterwards by broken slopes of neve — and gained 



height rapidly, bearing somewhat towards the base of the 



western summit. At 6. SO a.m. we were at an altitude of 



14,800 feet, only 1,800 feet below the top. At this time 



the view was magnificent and perfectly clear ; some fine 



snowy peaks, which we afterwards knew better as the Adai 



Khokh group, were conspicuous to the west ; to the south 



the eye already ranged over the main chain of the Caucasus, 



and across the valley of the Kur, to the hills beyond ; while 



behind the rugged ridges which rise on the east of 



the Terek valley, the peaks of Daghestan raised their 



snowy heads. From this point our difiiculties began ; 



the crevasses became large, and had to be dodged. 



rran9ois resigned the lead to Tucker for forty minutes, 



during which the favouring snow-slope was exchanged for 



blue ice, covered with a treacherous four inches of loose 



snow. The work of cutting steps became laborious, and 



Francois presently resumed the lead. An incident soon 



occurred which might have been serious. A bergschrund, 



a huge icicle-fringed crack in the ice, thi-ee to four feet 



wide, of which the upper lip was about five feet above 



the mider, barred our progress. Francois was first, I 



followed, Tucker was behind me, and Moore last. We 



