Page:My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus.djvu/296

Rh sérac, loose snow was piled high upon it, and much labour was required to beat and tread it down into the semblance of foothold. A first attempt to scale this obstacle proved abortive, and Hastings had to be once more summoned to give the needful aid. So soon as Collie had anchored himself as well as circumstances would allow, our second man entrusted himself to the bridge. Happily it proved of stronger virtue than we had expected, and, despite all temptations, did not stray into the downward path.

The advent of Hastings soon altered the appearance of affairs; planting himself on the highest reliable step, he once more lifted me up the slope, and when I had got beyond his reach, still gave me that moral support which the knowledge of his resource and extraordinary skill in "backing up" always affords, and which in many cases is as valuable as an actual shove. The short perpendicular cliff being ascended, a narrow and very steep gully, lying between a great sérac and the ice slope on our left, was reached. This gully being loaded with incoherent, dusty snow, no really reliable hold could be obtained. However, as all our rope was now out, it was necessary for Collie to come up on to the bridge. This being effected, Hastings untied, and thus gave me rope enough to crawl round on to the top of the sérac. From this point one looked down a hundred feet or more of overhanging ice cliff into the blue-black depths of