38 TRAVEL, AD VENTURE, AND SPORT. 



was handed forward, and we watched its course with 

 extreme anxiety, hovering along the edge of the 

 abyss anon disappearing and then showing again 

 farther off until at last Auguste shouted out that 

 he had found a pass, and that we could proceed 

 again. We toiled up a very steep cliff of ice, and 

 then edged the crevice which yawned upon our left in 

 a frightful manner more terrible in its semi-obscurity 

 than it is possible to convey an impression of until 

 the danger was over, and we all stood safely upon the 

 Grand Plateau about half-past three in the morning. 



We had now two or three miles of level walking 

 before us ; indeed our road, from one end of the 

 plateau to the other, was on a slight descent. Before 

 we started we took some wine : our appetites were 

 not very remarkable in spite of all our work ; but a 

 leathern cup of St George put a little life and warmth 

 into us, for we were chilled with the delay, and it 

 was now intensely cold. We also saw the other 

 lanterns approaching, and we now formed, as it were, 

 one long caravan. Still in single file we set off again, 

 and the effect of our silent march was now unearthly 

 and solemn to a degree that was almost painfully 

 impressive. Mere atoms in this wilderness of per- 

 petual frost, we were slowly advancing over the vast 

 plain slowly following each other on the track which 

 the leading glimmering dot of light aided the guidq 

 to select. The reflected moonlight from the Dome 

 du Goute, which looked like a huge mountain of 



