The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-23

the last to leave the camp and the last
to return as the others had left me far
in the rear. tried to overtake them as
the glaciers were enveloped by clouds
and to wander away from the trail was
danger that might, for several rea-
sons, prove fatal. My load was too
heavy, however, and I finally deter
mined to take it easier and take my
chances. It was intensely cold and the
dense cloud made it impossible to see
five PAGES ahead. Once on the way the
clouds parted for q moment. looked
up through the break at the mountains
in the west. AS did so caught sight
of a golden stream of light in the form
of a Turkish soimiter which stretched
clear across the sky. It lasted only a
few minutes, and then the clouds closed
again.
At O'Clock the cloud began slowly
to recede as / advanced and a little
later the curtain of mist went slowly
upward and exposed to view the stage
of operations along the crest of the
glacier in the distance. Beyond one
could see snowUlad peaks. They made a
beautiful background and looked like
marble carvings against the violet, opal
and lavender of the tinted and gilded
sky. A mile away, to the east, was q
range of towering mountains, the cen
ter peak 10, 600 feet high. Five miles
to the west another range of mountains
hemmed in the glacier. At II o'clock
the moon slowly made its appearance
over the mountains in the southeast. It
shone with dazzling splendor and &C
tually rivaled the sun in brightness.
An hour later it had crossed the canyon
oh nv Ia
peaks Of the mountains. Then the show
commenced.
Over the crest of the glacier to the
north appeared pale blue radiance. It
gave the sky in that direction spectral
appearance, but it grew brighter until
it looked for all the world like an enor-
NOUS alcohol flame. Suddenly shafts of
silver light like arrows of illuminated
mist shot upward from this flame and
as suddenly disappeared. Then the en-
tire sky became overcast with sparks of
golden fire. It looked as if it had been
sifted from heaven and was like the dy-
ing sparks in sky which has been shot
full of rockets.
This golden celestial veil remained
during the entire performance, but kept
constantly changing into all conceivable
geometrical figures Ribbons of colored
fame shot upward from the range Of
mountains to the east. The richest
shades of blue, crimson, purple, pink,
violet, lavender and other tints were
represented in this gorgeous pageantry
Of color, and opalescent shafts of light
again and again dart up here and there
from the fringe of radiance along the
crest of the mountain and the glacier.
They look spectral and ghostly, and
now they began to move to and fro, as
if going through the figures of a square
dance. Sometimes these shafts take on
golden hue. Then they change to silver,
or again they are phosphorescent and
brought in dazzling contrast with the
blue expanse of the sky behind them.
While this spectral dance is going on
the lights overhead keep taking on new
forms Suddenly they stop for a mo-
ment. Then, in concert with the sa1tant
spectral figures along the mountain
tops, the outer band in the sky begins to
circle like q oavalcade of troopers. Al
ternats bands of sparks are moving in
opposite directions. Rainbow flames are
dancing with the ghostly lights along
the mountain tops, and opaleecent mists
come and go.
Once looked over my shoulder. The
lower part of the mountains to the
southwest was lost in dense shadows.
Along their SUBMITS was a bank of
clouds which stretched north and south
for some distance. The clouds were
turned to silver by the moon. Apparent
ly floating in this ocean Of mist was the
dark peak of a mountain. The effect
was produced by the clouds which rest
ed between the peak and the denser
shadows below. The moon disappeared
and the bombardment of color in the sky
went on. I looked about me for q sign
Of my companions. but they were out
Of sight and hearing. I was alone on the
glaciers-aIone with the mountains,
with she aurora, with the shadows and