Mt.Lyell and Mt. Ritter Ascents. 189 



almost directly one above another, as if climbing a ladder. 

 We gradually worked to the right, and, leaving the snow- 

 tongue, began climbing over the insecure rocks at its edge. 

 One of the members of the party who' had remained 

 behind to get a good photograph of the snow-field, with 

 ourselves in the foreground, came along rapidly to over- 

 take us. When he was still some distance below us and 

 partly hidden from our view by intervening rocks, a stone, 

 which had become loosened by us, started bounding in his 

 direction. All that we could do was to give a cry of 

 warning and await results. His position was interesting 

 and for a few seconds precarious. He could not see what 

 was coming, and, being still in the snow and unable to 

 seek the protection of the rocks, he stood ready to jump 

 to right or left and avoid the threatening danger as best 

 he might. Fortunately the stone passed harmlessly by 

 him. 



The rocks became gradually more difficult to climb, 

 until, when we began to think we were almost at the 

 summit, we were confronted by an insurmountable cliff. 

 We then realized that we should have kept farther to the 

 east (to our left) and continued up a snow-tongue that 

 had at first seemed impassable. We could not go on, 

 and none of us wanted to go back; so while we were 

 canvassing the situation our leader began to investigate 

 the possibility of crossing over a very dangerous-looking 

 edge of ice and snow to a rock-ridge beyond. The snow 

 had so thawed away from the rocky cliff on the right 

 that there was a wide and deep crevice intervening, while 

 on the left the snow stood at an angle that was not far 

 from perpendicular, and the top was a mere blade, too 

 thin to give a safe foothold ; in addition to which the sun 



