The San Francisco call., 1906-11-04

slide, roll bound through the air with
hissings, crashings and echoing thun-
ders, plunging downward in mad career
scoring and pulverizing the mountain
sides, sending up clouds of snow and
rock dust till they find a resting place
on the talus or embed themselves in the
glacier thousands of feet below. Then,
a drop of water. converted into vapor
is carried by air currents to a lofty
summit-a snowflake. Others Join it
until in hundreds or thousands of years
it becomes part of q descending glacier
Under the sun rays il is changed for
tho fourth time into it's original form of
water. The drop slowly begins to move.
feather would efface it, But soon a
rill is formed, then rivulet ripping.
over the surface of the glacier, and then
a mountain torrent What touch could
efface it new? What could stem it's
tide? The mountain torrents combine
and emerging on the plain one spies
the Indus or the Ganges.
on the following morning the ther-
mometer registered fourteen degrees Of
frost. The clouds had covered most of
the distant peaks and the outlook was
for storm. But no one spoke of retreat
we had worked too hard to go back
except under compulsion. For hours
we ascended-and still no peak. It sug-
gested the hopeless cry of the shepherd
VI itloiGH anu lSOlue. "A SITOnR gust
OF wind accompanied by burning sleet
blew off my mountain cap. which sailed
over the great arete and across the
lowe- snow fields, where it disappeared
in huge crcvasse o thousand feet be-
low Under the topic. however, I was
wearing face mask and subcap with
car flaps, despite which protection the
wind and sleet pricked like thousand
needles.
I, \ On
and every step was now in snow to our
knees snow. dry and mealy in the ever
increasing cold. Beneath was solid ice
which made the footing precarious and
each step was soon a tour de force.
Presently / screamed to the guide that
/ must change my gloves, as could no
longer feel the ice axe. The loudest
scream was barely heard by him at the
end of thirty feet of rope. We halted
and vigorous rubbing soon restored
the circulation partially. A pair of
lined rubber mittens were put on and
the arduous climbing was resumed. At
tacking long slant and emerging on
wind whipped ledge we found the snow
portion of Koser Gunge not simply one
pack but tremendous mountain
scheme of endless ridges, slopes, aretes
and domcs.
Where Danger Turks.
On TINS dangerous incline, with the
wind whirling clouds of snow over us
and threatening to tear off every strap
or scarf not bound like iron, the en-
du-ance of one coolie found It's end and
the sickened second porter sat down.
turning his back to the rapid process
sion There came tug on the rope. and.
looking UP, we saw Zurbriggen. with
icicles two inches long on his beard
waving his hands and yociferating
loudly to come on or leave the rome.
For minute or two nothing was done.
But our position was preca -ious. If we
remained still we would freeze to death:
and we could not carry him. Presently
he was relieved of his burden and un-
roped. He shivered and shuddered and
pointed to his legs, and we saw he was
too dazed and weak to go on.
1t seemed hours. but was actually
minutes. before the coolie was released.
and we saw him crawl downward.
shambling into the deep tracks in the
wrong direction. Nor were we able to
make him hear us ere we continued on.
conquering foot by foot. in the relent-
less storm, the remaining distance to
the summit. Our work was of the hard
est, and our visit that of the birds. AL
though an important part of our object
was frustrated by the bad weather, we
have the satisfaction of having been the