Over Harrison's Pass with Animals. 117 



plight. Immediately we started to search along the top 

 of the ridge to the eastward, until, about a hundred yards 

 from our position, we discovered a monument at the top 

 of a very steep snow-chute leading to the bottom of the 

 basin. It was so steep as to almost present the appear- 

 ance of a cliff, and a snow-cornice at the top made a 

 nearly vertical fall for about six feet. So this was Har- 

 rison's Pass ! On looking down it we were strongly im- 

 pressed with the fact that places called "passes" differ 

 widely in character. But there was no alternative but to 

 make our way down, because we could not go back. 



Standing at the top, we threw rocks over the brink 

 and watched them rush down with great leaps and 

 bounds until they became dark specks on the still dull 

 white of the bottom. Their hasty manner of descent 

 warned us to be careful with our animals. The only pos- 

 sible way of getting them down was to cut a zigzag trail 

 through the snow. This we began to do with our only 

 tool, a small ax. It was weary work. One of us would 

 chop out blocks of snow with the ax and push them over, 

 while another would follow behind and tramp down the 

 newly made trail. About fifteen feet of trail was all 

 one man could do at a time. He would then be relieved 

 by the one behind and rest until each man had had his 

 turn. For about twenty feet along the first leg of the 

 trail the wall caused by chopping out was about five feet 

 high. Further down, however, the slope was less abrupt. 

 Each leg of the trail entirely crossed the gully and found 

 a turning-place on the rocks, where in one case, at the first 

 turn, some ice was encountered, making it a dangerous 

 spot for the animals. We kept up this chopping until 

 the morning shade had given place to the burning glare of 



