Return to Blossom Island. 161 



near at hand swept by within a few yards. When nearly at the 

 bottom my attention was attracted by a noise above, and on 

 looking up I saw two rocks bounding down the slope and coming 

 straight for me. To dodge them on the steep slippery slope was 

 difficult and dangerous. Allowing one to pass over my right 

 shoulder, I instantly moved in that direction and allowed the 

 other to pass over my left shoulder. They shot by me like frag- 

 ments of shells, but did no injury. Reaching camp, we found 

 that Stamy had dried our blankets and clothes. 



Resuming our packs, we slowly threaded our way downward 

 to Camp 14, at the western end of the Pinnacle pass cliffs. We 

 there found cans of rations left several days before and, pitching 

 our tent, passed the night. We knew by the signs found there 

 that Kerr and his companions, after taking lunch, had renewed 

 their journey toward Blossom island. Our camp was just at the 

 lower limit of the new snow. To the northward all was of the 

 purest white, but southward, down the glacier, the snow-fields 

 were yellow and much discolored. Many changes had taken 

 place in the Seward glacier since we first saw it ; the pinnacles, 

 snow-tables, and crevasses in the rapids were less striking than 

 formerly, and had evidently suffered greatly from the summer's 

 heat. About the bases of the cliffs there were dark, irregular 

 patches of debris, where a month previously all was white. As 

 nearly as could be judged, the surface of the glacier had been 

 lowered by melting and settling during our absence about fifty 

 feet. 



The following morning, September 5, we started for Blossom 

 island, the weather still continuing thick and stormy. On cross- 

 ing Pinnacle pass we found over a foot of new snow which had 

 fallen since our companions passed that way. Toward night- 

 fall the lower limit of snow on the Marvine glacier was reached, 

 and at night we camped on the first moraines which appeared 

 below the neve. The day following, September 6, we reached 

 Blossom island about noon, and found that Kerr and his party 

 had arrived there safely, and that Partridge had recovered from 

 his snow-blindness. 



Our stay above the snow-line had lasted thirty-five days, and 

 we were extremely glad to see the light of a camp-fire and have 

 the trees and floAvers about us once more. The vegetation in- 

 dicated that the season was already far advanced. Most of 

 the flowers had faded, and autumn tints gave brilliancy to the 



