Page:My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus.djvu/175

142 worked out and was prepared to lead us on; but I noticed that none the less we carefully kept to the. herd-boy's lead, and for the first time we reached the moraine of the Nantillon Glacier without feeling the need of any seriously bad language. Concealing our lanterns beneath a stone, we struck up the glacier just as the soft lights of morning were silhouetting the rugged limestone ridges of Sixt.

At this point Gaspard indulged in some very depressing statements. He told us that he had recently been up the Charmoz, and with true prophetic insight had devoted his time whilst there to an examination of the particular slab up which our route lay. This slab, he had been able to see, was coated with "Werglas," and most ingenious defences of snow, rock, and ice had been skilfully erected at the top; in short, it was simply courting defeat to go on with our attempt. It appeared to us, however, that these complicated defences were likely to be merely the products of our guide's imagination, and were, perhaps, in part referable to an objection to carrying a heavy knapsack up to C. P. We therefore proceeded; but on reaching the top of the rocks known as the "breakfasting station," Gaspard gave us further details; this very slab had, it appeared, fallen, crashing down to the glacier several years since, leaving a blank, unbroken wall that could by no manner of means be ascended. We were struck dumb by this