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272 THE EXPLORATION OF THE CAUCASUS
for poetical reflection, but for practical action. I rolled myself out
from under the boulder, set a liglit to the spirits of one of those
admirable inventions known as '
self-cooking soup-tins,' and roused
'
the slumbering guides. In fifteen minutes— a record '
time in mv
experience for a start—we had laced our boots, shared our soup, and
shouldered the light packs containing the day's necessaries.
For a short time the rough ground in the hollow between the
ice and the mountain afforded us easy walking. The shadows of
the crags diminished as the moon's beams flowed down the snowy
avalanche-tracks between them. Where the cliffs and moraine met
we were driv^en out on to the glacier. In the white uncertain
moonshine it was not easy to discover a way among the narrow
ridges between the ice-trenches. Our first attempt to pass the
marp-inal crevasses failed, but at the second we grained without
difiicultv the centre of the glacier above the lower ice-fall.
It was still some way to the foot of the first great seracs. The
ice was turning to neve, snow covered the surface, and the rope
had to be brouo-ht into use. During our halt we faced the A^ast
frozen cascade, a mile broad and 500 feet at least high, stretched
out in front of us, high over which, crowned by stars of astound-
ing brilliancy, for the moon was passing westwards, the virgin
peak of Tetnuld glimmered against the dark blue heaven. On
the previous clay
I had observed that the southern arm of the
fall beyond some rocks which divide it was comparatively unbroken.
But Francois Devouassoud, who in the old Chamonix spirit is ever
ready for an attack on crevasses, saw no reason for us to go out
of our way, and we kept a straight course. It was magnificent,
but a mistake on his part.
The struggle that followed, although it lasted a great many
hours, did not seem to me long ; for the actual path-finding among
the broken masses of neve soon grew sufficiently difficult to be
amusinij. The whole situation was stu-rino-. The scenery was
more fantastically lovely than a child's dream after the Panto-
mime. The snows around us seemed to emit an unearthly light.
Huge towers of milk-white substance shone against the dark
backgi'ound of sky, green icicle-hung vaults yawned betw^een them.