THE DESCENT. 203 



cended, for some distance under tlie rocks, along the left 

 bank of tlie most soutlierly of the two glaciers, until the ice 

 became so steep and broken that further progress promised 

 to be difficult ; we therefore halted, while Francois climbed 

 up again to the ridge, and made a reconnaissance on its 

 northern side. 



After some delay, a shout from above called on us to 

 follow, and we rejoined Fran9ois, after a sharp scramble, 

 at the base of a very remarkable tower of rock which 

 crowns the ridge, and is visible even from the Darielroad. 

 It will be useful as a finger-post to future climbers. 



The view of Kazbek from here is superb ; its whole 

 north-eastern side is a sheet of snow and ice, broken by the 

 steepness of the slope into magnificent towers, and seamed 

 by deep-bhie chasms. We were glad to find that there 

 was a reasonable prospect of descending from our eyrie to 

 the lower world without too much difficulty. The crest 

 of the ridge between the two glaciers fell rapidly before 

 us, and offered for some way an easy route. We followed 

 it — sometimes crossing a snowy plain, sometimes hurr^-ing 

 down rocky banks — until we saw beneath us, on our left, a 

 series of long snow-slopes leading directly to the foot of 

 the northern glacier. Down these we glissaded merrily, 

 and at 5.30 halted on the rocks below the end of the glacier, 

 which was of considerable size, and backed by two lofty 

 summits. The view of the lower part of the glen was shut 

 out by a rocky ban-ier, and before we reached its brow, 

 mists, which we had previously observed collecting in the 

 hollow, swept round us, and for the next two hours we 

 were enveloped in a dense fog. A long snow-filled gully 

 brought us to the bottom of the gorge, of which Ave could 

 see but little, owing to the unfortunate state of the 

 atmosphere. It must be of the most savage, description. 

 The torrent was buried under the avalanches of many 



