CLIMBING ADVENTURES 177 



6,000 feet below, and wondering vaguely how many 

 times I should strike the rocks on the way. I saw the 

 very block that I had dislodged going .down in huge 

 bounds ; it struck the side three or four times, and 

 then, taking an enormous plunge of about 2,000 feet, 

 embedded itself on the Tuckett Glacier. 



I felt the rope stop and pull up short. I called 

 out to Zurbriggen and asked him if he was solidly 

 placed. I was now swinging in the air like a pendulum, 

 with my back to the mountain, scarcely touching 1 the 

 rock face. It would have required a great effort to 

 turn round and grasp the rock, and I was afraid that 

 the strain which would thus necessarily be placed on 

 the rope would dislodge Zurbriggen. His first fear 

 was that I had been half-killed, for he saw the rock 

 fall almost on top of me ; but, as a matter of fact, after 

 striking my chest, it had glanced off to the right 

 and passed under my right arm ; it had started from 

 a point so very near that- it had not time to gain 

 sufficient impetus to strike me with great force. 

 Zurbriggen's first words were, 'Are you very much 

 hurt? ' I answered, * No,' and again asked him whether 

 he was firmly placed. ' No,' he replied, ' I am very 

 badly situated here. Turn round as soon as you can ; 

 I cannot hold you much longer.' I gave a kick at the 

 rocks with one foot, and with great exertion managed 

 to swing myself round. 



Luckily there was a ledge near me, and so, getting 

 some handhold, I was soon able to ease the strain on 

 the rope. A few moments later I struggled a little way 

 up, and at last handed to Zurbriggen the ice-axes, 

 which I had managed to hold throughout my fall. In 

 fact, my thoughts had been centred on them during the 



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