The Washington times., 1905-11-05

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him that good start often meant a
bad finish Nor was I wrong, for now
came our hardships. To begin with, the
mountains proved to be exceeding high;
it took US two days to climb their lower
slopes. Also, the he2t Of the sun had
sOftened the snow. which made walking
through it laborious, while. accustomed
though we were TO such conditions
through long years of travelling, its con-
tinual glitter affected our eyes.
The morning of the seventh day found
us in the mouth of defile which wound
away into the heart of the mountains
AS il seemed the only possible path. we
followed IT. and were much cheered TO
discover that here must once have run
a road. Not that we could see any
road. indeed, for everything was buried
IN snow. But that one lay beneath our
feet we were certain, since, although
we wound along the edge Of precipices,
our path. however steep, was always
fat; moreover, the rock upon one side
OF It had often been scarped by the hand
Of man. or this there could be no
doubt for as the snow could not cling
here. We saw the tool marks upon its
bare surface.
At length on the tenth day we reached
i tAit EA4h VI NAAD A1A4ANt 4AA1 as AAAEAL " d.
! falling, camped there in the most bitter
! cold. Those were miserable hours. for
now we had no fuel with which to boil
water, and must satisfy our thirst by
/ eating frozen snow, while our eyes
smarted so sorely that we could not
/ sleep, and Notwithstanding all our
wraps and the warmth that we gather
ed from the yak in the little tent, the
| cold caused our teeth to chatter Ike
/ Icastanets.
/ The dawn came, and, after II, the sun
I rise. We crept from the tent. and leav-
I ing il standing a while, dragged our
stinened limbs a hundred yards or 50
+ to a spot where the defle took turn,
/ IN order that we might thaw in the rays
of the sun. which at that hour could not
/ reach US where we camped.
Leo was rourd it first. and I heard
him utter an exclamation. In few
/ seconds I reached his side. and. loi be-
( fore Us lay our Promised Land.
/ Far beneath US. ten thousand feet at
/ least-for It must be remembered that
we viewed It from the top OF a noun
/ tain-it stretched away and away till It's
distances met the horizon. In character
it was quite fat, an aIluviaI plain that
probably. In some primevaI age. had
/ been the bottom OF one Of the vast lakes
OF which a number exist In Central
Asia, most OF them now in process Of
desiccatiOn. One object only relieved
this dreary fatness, a single, snow-cIad
and gigantic mountain. OF which even
at that distance-for it was very far
away from us-we could clearly see the
| outline. Indeed, we could see more. for
/ from its rounded top rose a great plume
/ Of smoke. showing that Il was an active
/ volcano, and on the hlther lip Of the
/ crater an enormous pillar Of rock,
/ whereof the top was formed 70 the
| shape Of a loop
/ Yes, there II stood before US. the sym
/ Dol Of our vision which we had sought
| these many years, and At the sight Of
/ il our hearts beat fast
/ Yes, there before US stretched the
I Promised Land. and there rose the
/ mystic Mount, so that all we had to do
/ was TO march down the snow slopes
! and enter IL where we would.
Thus we thought in our folly. little
/ guessing what lay before rs and what
weary suffering we must endure before
we stood at length beneath the shadow
/ OF the symbol
Our fatigues forgotten, we returned
TO the tent hastily swallowed some of
| our dried food, which we washed down
! with Jumps OF snow that gave us tooth
/ ache and chilled US inside, but which
/ thirst compelled US to eat. dragged the
/ poor yak TO its feet. loaded it up and
l started.
! All this while, so great was our haste
! and 80 occupied was each of us with
/ his own thoughts that. II my memory
! serves me, we scarcely interchanged a
/ word. Down the snow slopes We
marched swiftly and without hesita-
/ ton. for here the road was marked for
! us by means OF pillars OF rock set op-
pOsite 10 each other at intervals. These
pillars we observed with satisfaction.
/ for they told us that we were still upon
/ a highway which led 10 the Promised
I Land
/ Those slopes were longer than we
/ thought; indeed. when darkness closed
4 In we had not reached the foot Of them.
50 We were obliged 10 spend another
/ night in the snow, pitching our tent in
! the shelter of an overhauging rock.
Again the still dawn came, throwing
its red garment over the lonesome. end
/ less mountains. and we dragged our
| selves 20 our numbed feet, ate some
/ Of our remaining food. and started on
ward. Now We could no longer see the
! country beneath. for II and even the