Page:My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus (1908).djvu/160

154 us up, hand over hand, on the easy rocks to our right. Our leader exerted his utmost strength, and by herculean efforts managed to reach the upper glacier simultaneously with the other party. He found them to be led by a well-known Oberland guide, who was not a little elated by his judicious lead. We kept together as far as the foot of the couloir running up to the Charmoz-Grépon col. Here our ways diverged, so with mutual good-byes, and wishing each other all sorts of luck and success, we parted company, the Oberlander first giving Burgener much good advice and ending by strongly advising him to abandon the attempt, "for," said he, "I have tried it, and where I have failed no one else need hope to succeed." Burgener was greatly moved by this peroration, and I learnt from a torrent of unreportable patois that our fate was sealed, and even if we spent the rest of our lives on the mountain (or in falling off it) it would, in his opinion, be preferable to returning amid the jeers and taunts of this unbeliever.

Having found a rock which protected us from falling stones, we halted for a second breakfast. Turning once more to the ascent we found that the couloir, though not absolutely free from falling stones, is fairly easy, and it was not till about