A Midwinter Trip. 



observatory. Just as we were beginning to wonder even 

 whether the observatory was still there, the clouds parted 

 for a moment and revealed it all intact on the crest. Min- 

 iature it looked, but it was all there; monument, instru- 

 ment shelter, and observatory building, each a tiny pro- 

 jection on the sky line. The true perspective was revealed 

 for once in this land of exaggerated nearnesses by the walls 

 and planes of cloud between us and our destination. 



The Californian's heart was now becoming adjusted, 

 but his muscles showed signs of extreme fatigue. As one 

 leg rested on dead center for a moment its muscles sud- 

 denly contracted in cramp and held him stilf -legged until 

 they could be persuaded to release their grip. Then, when 

 this leg had obtained its second wind, so to speak, the 

 other leg approached its crisis. The Californian met this 

 quietly and successfully. He suddenly placed himself at 

 ease on the snow with his stiffened leg far outstretched 

 and handed the enthusiast his staff. ''Drive this into the 

 snow," said he, ''just behind my knee. Now take my leg 

 by the ankle and pull slowly backward." The leg yielded 

 perforce, and when the knee had thus been thrown off 

 center the muscles yielded obedience. The Californian 

 was master of his mechanism once more. 



Darkness overtook us just as we shaped our final course 

 for the buttresses which stand guard on either side of 

 the summit of the mountain. There was a moon, but its 

 presence could not be detected save by a faint glow in 

 the atmosphere which dispelled midnight darkness. The 

 clouds had now attained the consistency of fog, and a 

 fierce gale was blowing aloft. This gale we avoided by 

 clinging close to the leeward side of the nearer buttress, 

 whose presence we felt rather than saw. When we sur- 

 mounted this barrier we were met by a fusillade of driving 

 snow and frost crystals so fierce that we were unable to 

 maintain our footing. Breathing in the face of such a 

 blast became uncomfortable, and the ears and hands, that 

 had not been covered with face masks and mittens earlier 

 in the evening, began to suffer. 



