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90 THE EXPLORATION OF THE CAUCASUS
which in the passage had got somewhat slack, was discovered to have
hitched itself round one of the big icicles in the crack. Tucker
having, from the position in which he was standing,
in vain tried
to release it, began to cut steps downwards to the upper lip of
the crevasse. At no time is it an easy thing to cut steps in ice
beneath you ; try to do it in a hurry, and what happened
in this
case is almost sure to occur. The step-cutter ovei'balanced himself,
his feet slipped out of the shallow footholds, and he shot at once
over the chasm. Of course the rope immediate!}^ tightened with a
severe jerk on Moore and myself, who, though very insecurely
placed, were fortunately able to resist the strain. Tucker had
fallen spread-eagle fashion with his head down the slope, and we
had to hold for many seconds before he could work himself round
and regain his footing.
The escape was a narrow one, and we had reason to be
thankful that neither the rope nor our axes had failed us at so
critical a moment. So starthng an occurrence naturally shook our
nerves somewhat, but little was said, and our order ha%"ing been
re-established, we attacked the exceedingly steep ice-slope which
separated us from the gap
between the two summits. For the
next four hours there was scarcely one easy step. The ice, when
not bare, was thinly coated with snow. A long, steep ice-slope is
bad enough in the first state, as mountain-climbers know : but it is
infinitely worse in the second. In bare ice a secure step may be
cut ; through loose, incoherent snow it cannot. Devouassoud went
through the form of cutting,
but it was of little use to the two
front men, and none at all to those in the rear. In many places
we found the safest plan was to crawl up on our hands and knees,
clinging with feet and ice-axes to the slippery
staircase. It has
always remained a mystery to us how we got from step to ste])
without a slip. The difficulties of the feat were increased by a
bitter wind, which swept across the slope in fitful blasts of intense
fury, dri%ang the snow in blinding showers into our faces as we
crouched down for shelter, and numbing our hands to such a
degree that we could scarcely retain hold of our axes.
Time passes rapidly in such circumstances, and it was not