194 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



arm alone saved us all from destruction. Had ,he 

 given way, after sliding some distance, we should all 

 have dropped off thousands of feet below. When he 

 saw Rudolf go Gabriel thought for a moment that 

 we were all lost ; but his axe was well placed, with 

 the rope round it ; and although two fingers were 

 caught between the rope and the ice-axe, knowing it 

 was life or death, he stood firm until Rudolf recovered 

 himself. Otherwise, Gabriel said afterwards, he never 

 despaired, but thought only of going on. Rudolf, how- 

 ever, to my great astonishment for I had supposed 

 I was the only one who was frightened confessied 

 later that he never expected to get down alive. 



The cold and fatigue, the darkness and shadow, the 

 poncho blowing before me, the absence of climbing- 

 irons, the small steps, the steep, glassy slopes presented 

 an extraordinary combination of difficulties. It seemed 

 that the way would never end. I tried to comfort 

 myself with the reflection that accidents do not run 

 in our family, that nothing serious, more than broken 

 ribs or knee-pan these not in climbing ever had hap- 

 pened to me ; but also I was aware that people do 

 not generally die but once. I said to myself, for the 

 first time in my life, I must keep cool and do my 

 best, and so I did ; but after several of those horrible 

 slides well, there was nothing to do but to plod along. 



At last, at last ! Before I was aware that we 



had emerged from among those terrible abysses to 

 the slope above the tent, Gabriel said, ' Now we are 

 safe, and if you like you can slide.' What a tremendous 

 relief 1 I sat down happily, Gabriel walking ahead 

 and guiding me with the rope. At first it was fun, 

 then I went too fast, bobbing here and there, bumping, 



