Evening star., 1925-08-23

rough. hard snow. with speed accele
ating at every yard, would soon be
unconscious or so nearly so as to be
absolutely helpless. and gravity would
then work it's will with him un-
hindered bearing him down, down,
down, a broken and senseleSs mass,
to the depth of the unfeelng glacier.
True. | knew hundreds. In the past,
had glissaded hilariously down this
slope in happy security; but that
was when the snow was soft and safe
and friendly. On this day it was hard,
and no man could make that slide and
live TO tell the tale. Only those who
have seen a great snow slope in good
and in bad conditions can know the
terrible difference.
There had been a fresh fall of snow
a short time before. This had nearly
all melted from the slope. However.
pa tches OF it still lay in crusty. white
sheets an inch or two thick. In the de-
pressions of the dark hard older
snow. | found that by stepping on to
this new snow | could get better
footing.
| began TO seek out these white
patches. working from one to another
over the ridges Of icy snow. | had
almost come To believe that my
troubles were over. when, without
warming a sheet on which I was
standing started to slide with me.
iabbed the point of my ice AK down
hard into the old snow beneath and
succeeded in getting a firm enough
hold to keen from going. too. l saw
that the new snow was unreliable.
SO I kept away from the white
patches whenever possible; but they
continued occa sionally to start, some
times at the touch of my AK, some
times for no apparent cause. They
went slithering down the mountain
with an ominous grating sound. MY
progress was terribly slow. | began
10 fear | should never get down-or
should get down all too quickly.
And then it happened.
x
IN spite of all my precautions, my
feet suddenly shot from under me.
| started on a lightning like descent
toward the lower regions of the noun
| tain, gaining speed az | went, my
| body humping over the icy protuber-
ances of the snow. The supreme mo-
| ment of my mountaineering career
was at hand.
But my mind was working clearly
and rapidly-was under no illusions
as to what l was up against.
instantly realized that something
must be done Immediately.
And nobody was there to do it but
myself.
/ had started on my back. thus pre-.
senting my broadest possible sliding
surface to the pitiless snow and pre-
venting effective use of my arm For
tunately, ] still retained my hold
upon my ice AK. I turned quickly
upon my left side. Grasping the han
die of the AK near the middle with
both hands. | brought the point hard
down into the snow. My momentum
tore the steel tip from it's shallow
hold. and I shot on unchecked.
1t was now or never. L knew that
my life hung by seconds. Another
minute would be too late. Every foot
of flight was adding to my speed.
mastering my last available ounce of
strength, / deliberately poised the axe
and again thrust the point straight
down into the snow.
With a thrill l felt the steel pene-
trate, strain and hold With a des-
perate grasp upon the slender pole.
| shot on downward the length of my
arms, and lay sprawling, while my
feet sought vainly for a niche upon
the mountainside.
Fearing the AK might still give
way, 1 kicked with my heels until I
was sure / had worked them into the
icy surface enough that l might ven.
ture to rise. / cautiously and slowly
worked my way up on to my feet and
stood leaning on the ice-axe, gasping
for breath.
X y II
IT was minutes before my strength
came back to me. Looking down
the mountainside, | saw far below,
my heavy cap on edge like hoop,
..,yfl 40
from point to point of the uneven
snow. flying like a thing of life to
escape the dangers of that awful
slope. For 500 feet or so it went, with
undiminished rapidity, toward Newton
Clark Glacier, and then 1t apparently