New-York tribune., 1903-03-07

with our tripod legs. We looked az one anOt"eI
.rd apneed that we had lost confidence IN
glaciers" ...,rr
the breatbless excitement OF that mionlshI
fight from the Mexican murderers Here LII the
irresistibly comic sketch Of the artist aank "
smith. as good in its way as Its anttthesis' the
| oNTa rrhrino" Here is the story Of the Sierra
storm chill and vast and death dealing. Here is
+bet description of the descent Of Mount Tyn-
dali memorable for the unselfish daring OF
Kings friend Cotter. The two men stooo upon
| a narrow rocky platform, with Icy depths De-
lov. and above forty feet Of almost smooth
granite between them and safety. Twenty rect
Cotter achieved. by means OF crev1ces In the
rock and little projections from Its surface Tne
next twenty feet could be scaled only in one
way-by leaping for crack in the granite and
trusting his whole weight to the strength OF his
fingers:
He made a bold spring for the crack.
reaching it without an inch to spare, and hold
ing on wholly by. his fingers He thus WORKED
nj sst retiS his arms over the brink and
gradually drawing his body up ana out OF slshC'
It was the most splendid piece Of slow gymnaS.
tics 1 ever witnessed: For moment ne salo
nothing: but when asked If he was all right
cheerfully repeated "An right.
1t was only moments work TO i,, senG up ,oI1 oHe
two knapsacks and barometer and receive again
nv end Of the lasso. AS tied It round my
breast Cotter cafd to me in easy, confident
tone Don't be afraid to bear your weight
made I'D my mind however. to make that c!lrnD
without his aid and husbanded my strength as
climbed from crack to crack. got up WIN
out difficulty to my former point, rested there
moment hanging solely by my hands, gathered
every pound of strength and atom or VIII TOT the
reach then jerked myself upward with SWING,
lust getting the tips Of my fingers INTO the
crack In an instant had grasped II win my
right hand also. felt the sineWs or my nnsers
relax q little but the picture of the slope OF Ice
and the blue lake affected me SO strongly tnat
I redoubIed my grip and climbed SLOWLY
along the crack until 1 reached the angle and
got one arm over the edge as Cotter mao
done AS I rested my body upon the edge
and looked up at Cotter, 1 saw that' IN
stead of a level top, he was sitting upon
smooth roo1ike slope, where the ieast pun
would have dragged him over the Drink. ne
had no brace for his feet, hold for his hands,
but had seated himself calmly, with the rope
safety lay in being able to make the CLIMB en-
tirely unaided, certain that the least waver IN
his tone would have diSheartened me- ana per-
haps made it impossible
In all my experience of mountaineering nave
never known an act of such real profound cour-
age as this of Cotter's. It is one thing in q mo-
ment of excitement to make gallant leap or
to hold ones nerves in the iron grasp OF wiz
hut to coolly seat ones self in the door or deatn
and silently listen for the fatal summons, and
this all for q friend-for he might easily nave
cast loose the lasso and saved himself-reQulFes
as sublime type of courage as know.
This book has long been out Of print We trust
that this may never again be said OF it 1t Is a
classic of which no American reader can AFFORD
to be ignorant.