West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-11-07

twenty-five Thousand feet have been al
most overcome with dizziness and a
pam rcScmbl NJ nervous hcada he
S"hlo'ncd with neuralgia, their yves
nave grown dim, thor oars have rune.
anu nj last ico Ing of exhaustion has
Obliged them To return 10 a less rnrefcd
atmosphere, And after rcach;nr a
hei9ht whoro The ar becomes absoI,,e
W unonduraolc for human I nqs. tho
rdgc OF Mount Everest 4 still Scvrn
Thousand feet above YOU, and it Is prob.
ahiy easier TO reach The North Poletbon
the very top of tho u, al.
Even the aSrert OK the table-land
above tho kaSkan lass Is no ohilJ's
play, but the marvellous sights and
sounds of that icc.word ampiv reward
the tourist who has learned ia brave
the dangers az the glacieI. clpts. From
The ridge oi The plateau which has lc,n
called the "Roof of the Wotld." somo
iiilccn thousand spua & niles of lee
Fields and sn5w-peaks are in sicht, and
~ spring time the echo of the avn.
laneh 5 resembles the roll OF contin-
nous thunder. In midsummer. too.
largo masses OF mingled rocks and /. @
detach themselves from the cliffs. and
IN the clear am 0f The hig lands their
ucscont over the steep mountain sides
can sometimes be ob .srvod from such
q distahco that full minute rasScs b.
IOrc the revcrberatiou of the hills an
nounccs the fan of the pordcrous
rocks From the higher ridges the
mountaincccs hear now and then a
sound that resembles the echo of "A dis
tant explosion, whose or gin. never
fully eNpla ned, is the subject OF
many fancful spcculations 1t is sup.
posed that the influence OF tho warm
summer days, alternating with the cold
nights. expands the ico crust of tho
~Rlaclcrs till the strain ovcycomeS it,
power OF resistance and split, it asun
der as hot water bursts the shell of an
egg. 1t is certain that the crcvasses
or clctt', in the upper glaciers often
reach Gown 10 the very bottom of the
ice mass, with Il horizontal extension
OF ten or twelve thousand wards. Pco.
pie who have Lcard the whip like crack
produced by the breaking of tie ice on
frozen r.ycr may imagine tho dcCona
{ on when mountain of solid ice bursts
open .or distance of s'vcn English
miles. Hard winters conceal these
tlcitS with cover of snow, and make
'he passage of the gla 'icrS extremely
~
sight when the storm wind ra'scS the
snow in drifts that scui over the lee.
field, in the .orm OF funuels and whir.
ing pillars, and often sccm TO dance to
gcther like spccters in futteriug wind
ing sheets.
On clear days the shadow Of Mount
Everest moves slowly over the table.
lands of Thibct, and fifty miles north
OF the lIimalayas there are valleys
whose inhabitants fear the south wind
Coming straight from the icy high
landD rs the people OF our prairie
States dread n northwest gale. The
shadow of the Nunaghir is their sun
dial, ard in mid ummer it, snowy peak
IS almost constantly i'm view, rs a white
pyramid in daytime and as n luminous
beacon during the larger part of tho
night, for in June the rays of the sun
linger on its crest till after ten o'clock,
an rcappcar before two in the morn
ing.
No living being, perhaps, has evcI
been up there, for even the eagles
dread the ar of the icy heights; but
Fifty miles west Of the peak, where the
backbone OF the Himalayas rises sew
cral thousand feet above the snow-linc,
AAOopH VI WI u HhtFD OlisU tlOS3 lle
ridge al a height where q man would
perish with cold The hill-foxes, TOO,
have accustomed themselves to the
rarelied air in way which shows the
power of habit when its influence cx-
tends through many generations.
Huntng-dogs are as unable as their
masters TO breathe the atmosphere of
the higher ridges. and even at an eleva-
{ on OF twenty thousand feet they hesi-
tate to 90 any further, and betray their
uneasincss by uttcring kind OF cough
ing bark aud rubbing their noses
against the snow But the mountain
sheep 20 several thousand feet higher,
and ,onstantly cross the ridge between
the highlands OF Thibet and the head
wa crs oil the Indus Their favoriie
pasture grounds are the valleys at the
very foot OF the glaciers, where they
browse a kind oi short, sweet grass that
is found nowhere else. Their chase is
the fayorite sport Of the Himalaya
mountaincers, but without stratagcm
and perfect knowledge OF the terri
tory 10 is almost impossible to ap.
proach their haunts. Tor nt the first
sign Of danger they make straight for
the snOw-helds and retire 10 heights
where no hunter can follow them. -
min I II syDII Ia Hog,Ibfs (l,s,,y.g,, f<,,