Page:My Climbs in the Alps and Caucasus (1908).djvu/246

240 one," and that two knapsacks, with a coat as a superstructure, are apt to jam between projecting rocks, and impale themselves on every sharp splinter that exists within a radius of six feet, in addition to the steady drag exerted by their weight. Burgener, however, was not to be checked, and his only reply to my entreaties was to jodel with fierce derision at the easy cliff which still rose before us. Our racing pace soon brought us to a little snow ridge which led, in about three minutes, to the great ridge connecting the Dru with our summit. This gradually broadened into a wide, hard-frozen causeway, up which we tramped arm in arm to the summit.

My first impulse was to shake myself free from the load I had been carrying, Burgener's was to run along the ridge leading towards the Aig. du Moine in order to examine the route by which we were to descend. He returned in great glee, saying that it was all "bares Eis," and that I should be remarkably stiff next day, referring to a solemn compact I had made to do such step-cutting as might be requisite on the way down.

Meanwhile I had unpacked the knapsacks, and we stretched ourselves on the snow to eat our lunch and revel in the glorious view which this rarely visited peak affords. Burgener then attempted to splice his broken axe. Though his efforts in this direction dismally failed, he succeeded in making as deep and ugly a cut in the fleshy part