Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-25

dashing. heaving, plunging motion OF great
river cataract
Tracing it down three or four miles, found
that it discharged into lake, filing 1t with
icebergs.
I would gladly have followed the lake outlet
to tidewater, but the day was already far spent,
and the threatening sky called for haste ON the
return trip to get on the ice before dark.
I began to feel anxious about finding q way
in the biurring storm.
RUT pushed on rs best could, jumping
innumerable crevaSses. and for every hun
bred rods or so Of direct advance travelling
mile in doubling up and down in the turmoil
Of chasms and dislocated ice blocks.
After an hour or two Of this work we came
to a series Of longitudinal crevasses Of appalling
width, and almost straight and regular In
trend like immense burrows.
These traced with firm nerve. excited and
strengthened by the danger. Stickeen followed,
seemingly without effort.
At length our way was barred by very wide
and straight crevasse, which I traced rapidly
northward q mile or so without finding
crossing or hope OF one, then down the glacier
about so far to where It united with another
uncrossable crevasse.
In all this distance Of perhaps two miles
there was only one place where could possibly
Jump it. but the width Of this jump was the
utmost I dared attempt, while the danger Of
slipping on the farther side was so great that
was loath to try It,
Furthermore, the side was on was about
foot higher than the other, and even with this
advantage the crevaSSe seemed dangerously
wide.
Should risk this dangerous jump or try to
regain the woods ON the west shore, make
fire, and have only hunger to endure while
waiting for . new day.
At length determined to venture, jumped
and landed well, but with so little TO spare
that more than ever dreaded being compelled
to take that jump back from the lower side.
Stickeen followed and We ran eagerly forward,
hoping we were leaving all our troubles behind.
But within the distance of q few hundred
yards we were stopped by the widest crevasse
yet encountered.
OF course made haste to explore It, hoping
all might yet be remedied by finding q bridge
or . way around either end. About three
fourths Of q mile upstream found that it
united with the one we had just crossed, as
feared 1t would.
Then, tracing 1t down, found 1t joined the
same crevasse at the lower end also. maintain
ing throughout its whole course width of 40
to so feet.
Thus, to my dismay, 1 discovered that we were
on q narrow island about two miles long, with
two barely possible ways of escape-one back
by the way we came, the other ahead by an
almost inaccessible sliver-bridge that crossed
the great crevasse from near the middle Of it!
After this nerve-trytng discovery ran back
to the silver bridge and cautiously examined
it. The width Of the crevasse was here about
SO feet, and the silver crossing diagonally was
about 20 feet long. its thin knife-edge near the
the middle was depressed IS or 30 feet below
the level Of the glacier, and the upcurving ends
were attached to the sides or 10 feet below
the brink.
Getting down the nearly vertical wall to the
end Of the silver and up the other side were
the main diflculties and they seemed ali but
insurmountable. OF the many perils encoun-
tered in my years of wandering on mountains
and glaciers none seemed 50 plain and stern
and nereiless as this.