176 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



turns, where possible, throwing down such rocks as 

 seemed most dangerous ; at times even this resource 

 became impossible, so great was the violence with which 

 these falling masses would shake the whole ridge on 

 which we stood. I carried both the ice-axes, so as to 

 leave my guide Zurbriggen both hands free to test 

 each rock as he slowly worked his way upwards, while 

 I did my very utmost to avoid being in a position 

 vertically under him. 



Suddenly, as I was coming up a steepish bit, while 

 Zurbriggen waited for me a little way above, a large 

 boulder that I touched with my right hand gave way 

 with a great crash, and fell, striking my chest. I had 

 been just on the point of passing up the two ice- 

 axes to Zurbriggen, that he might place them in a 

 cleft of rock a little higher up, and thus leave me both 

 hands free for my climb. He was in the act of stoop- 

 ing and stretching out his arm to take them from 

 my uplifted left hand, the slack rope between us lying 

 coiled at his feet. The falling boulder hurled me down 

 head foremost, and I fell about eight feet, turning a com- 

 plete somersault in the air. Suddenly I felt the rope 

 jerk, and I struck against the side of the mountain 

 with great force. I feared I should be stunned and 

 drop the two ice-axes, and I knew that on these our 

 lives depended. Without them we should never have 

 succeeded in getting down the glacier through all the 

 intricate ice-fall. 



After the rope had jerked me up I felt it again 

 slip and give way, and I came down slowly for a 

 couple of yards. I took this to mean that Zurbriggen 

 was being wrenched from his foothold, and I was ju< 

 contemplating how I should feel dashing down tl 



