A CRITICAL MOMEXT. 199 



had all ]3assed the obstacle without serious difficulty, when 

 the rope, which in the passage had got somewhat slack, 

 was discovered to have hitched itself round one of the big: 

 icicles m the crack. Tucker, having, from the position in 

 which he was standing, in vain tried to unhitch it, began 

 to cut steps downwards to the upper lip of the crevasse. 

 At no time is it an easy thing to cut steps in ice beneath 

 you ; try to do it in a hurry, and what hajDpened in this 

 case is almost sure to occur. The step-cutter overbalanced 

 himself, his feet slipped out of the shallow footholds, and 

 he shot at once over the chasm ; of course the rope im- 

 mediately tightened with a severe jerk on Moore and my- 

 self, who, though very insecurely placed, fortunately were 

 able to resist the strain. Tucker had fallen, spreadeagle- 

 fashion, with his head down the slope, and we had to hold 

 for many seconds before he could work himself round and 

 regain his footing. 



The escape was a very nari'OAv one, and we had reason 

 to be thankful that neither the rope nor oui* axes 

 had failed us at so critical a moment. So startling 

 an occurrence naturally shook our nerves somewhat, 

 but little was said, and our order being re-established, 

 we attacked the exceedingly steep ice-slope, which sepa- 

 rated us from the gap between the two summits. For 

 the next four hours there was scarcely one easy step. 

 The ice, when not bare, was thinly coated with snow. A 

 long steej) ice-slope is bad enough in the first state, as 

 mountain-climbers know, but it is mfinitely worse in the 

 second. In bare ice a secure step may be cut ; through 

 loose incoherent snow it cannot. Francois went through 

 the form of cutting, but it was of little use to the two 

 front men, and none at all to those in the rear. In many 

 places we found the safest plan was to craAvl up on our 

 hands and knees, clinging with feet and ice-axes to tlu> 



