Page:My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus.djvu/253

208 This latter does not touch the Charpoua glacier at all, the ascent being made by endless slopes of loose stones.

We halted for half an hour in order to see the sun rise and to have some breakfast. We also carefully hid away our lantern and otherwise made ourselves ready for serious work. As far as the first Bergschrund we met no difficulty, but on reaching this huge chasm at 5.30 a.m. it appeared as if further progress was absolutely barred. It stretched right across the glacier, and the rocks on either side were wholly impracticable. However, at one point we found that the thick covering of winter snow had not actually fallen, but had only sunk some fifty feet into the chasm, and being protected from the sun's rays, had not yet wholly melted. It was a fragile structure, in some places punctured by round holes from which depended long icicles, and in others was a mere glazing of ice a quarter of an inch thick. When an axe was thrust through these weak places, most soul-shuddering depths were disclosed. It so happened that the only point at which it was possible to descend on to this bridge was well to the right, whilst the only possibility of scaling the opposing wall of the Schrund was far away to the left. We were in consequence forced to pick our way along the rickety structure for a hundred yards or more. Once or twice the jar of our passage caused a few loose icicles to rattle into the darkness below, at which