Kashmir i?5 



diagonally across the slope, and as we held H. by 

 the rope, he swung to and fro like a pendulum, and 

 finally came to anchor, spread-eagled against the 

 icy face. 



" He was quite cool kept hold of his axe, cut 

 himself footholes, and got back into his place once 

 more. A short time after we were safely off the slope, 

 to our horror a mist came over the mountains, and 

 quickly thickened, blotting out all traces of our where- 

 abouts. It was impossible to go on. O ye immortal 

 gods ! where were we ? 



" However, only a quarter of an hour was passed in 

 despair ; shapes began to loom in front of us, and 

 the clouds blew off. Taking to our feet once more, 

 we began to surmount the second ridge ; it proved 

 to be slippery rock, and our advance was slow and 

 tedious. The heat at the end of the long afternoon 

 was growing unbearable ; there was plenty of air up 

 above, and now and then a refreshing puff quickened 

 us for the moment into life, but for the most part 

 we seemed to be in complete aerial stagnation. 



" Was life worth living then ? It seemed intolerable. 

 We sucked ice to allay our thirst, and only grew more 

 thirsty. 



" I longed to cast away my alpenstock, to abandon 

 everything, as I mechanically struggled on, caring for 

 nothing, observing nothing, only dimly conscious of 

 the gloomy depths below, floored by cold, hard glaciers, 

 rent with fathomless crevasses. In a dull dream one 

 pictured the ice-steps giving way, and speculated in 



