202 SIBERIA 



succeeded in saving myself, by throwing my body 

 forward, from accompanying them on their downward 

 career. After many difiSculties and troubles I sat 

 down to rest on a boulder as flat as a table, and 

 round. It was quite 3 feet across. I unpacked my 

 rucksack and made a good meal, as I could see there 

 would be no chance of taking anything up the preci- 

 pice with me. Whilst resting on these boulders I 

 heard a noise, and looking down the glacier I saw 

 the hunter Cherapanoff about 4 miles away, beckon- 

 ing for me to go back. 



I had heard quite enough from the hunters about 

 the dangers of the mountains, and, as the clouds 

 seemed to be drifting up towards me, I thought he 

 was trying to warn me of the coming storm. The 

 clouds which were descending from the peaks all 

 around me made me hurry. I took my aneroid and 

 left the rest of the luggage on the slab of rock. 



I first of all tried a gully up the precipice of 

 Belukha, but the rocks were too ice-glazed and, after 

 proper examination, I concluded that it was quite 

 impossible to make the ascent that way. I turned 

 back to some steep rock which I concluded led to 

 the ice ridge, and, for about an hour climbed up 

 slabs, and wriggled up cracks of all sorts . The snow 

 and ice gave me trouble and it presently began to 

 snow. Whilst resting on the top of the ridge I 

 measured it. It was 13,800 feet. I left my card 

 under a piece of rock a.nd proceeded through the 

 mist towards the higher ridge. 



On gaining this ridge I was reminded of the long 

 ice ridge of Monte Rosa near the summit of Dufour 

 Spitz. After proceeding over deep snow I came 

 to a ridge of hard ice at an altitude of 14,360 feet. 

 I had attained a height on this mountain that nobody 

 had attained before me. Professor Sapozhnikoff had 

 gained 13,300 feet from the south side in the summer 



