Page:Boy scouts in the White Mountains; the story of a long hike (IA boyscoutsinwhite00eato).pdf/203

 "Do you feel better now, dear?" the man asked her

She nodded her head.

"Of course she does," said Mr. Rogers. "I'll tell you something now that we are safe in the shelter. There was no time nor chance to tell you out there. I was too busy keeping the trail. It's this:—about half the trouble on mountains like this comes from funk, just as half the drownings occur from the same cause. Not only do you lose your way much more easily when you get terrified, but your vitality is lowered, and the cold and exhaustion get you quicker. If you keep cool, and your heart is beating steadily, normally, your eye finds the trail better and your body resists the elements. That is why nobody ought to tackle this Bridle Path who isn't familiar with the mountain, unless he is accompanied by some one who is familiar with it. And, unless the weather is good, nobody should tackle it without a food supply. In fact, I'd go so far as to say they never should, for you can't depend on the weather here for half a day at a time, or even an hour."

"I realize that now," the man said, soberly, as he shivered in his blanket. "They told us down at the Crawford House that it was going to be a gale up here to-day, but I'm afraid we didn't realize what a gale on Washington meant. I don't know what would have become of us if we hadn't met you!"