knowing the value of time from our consultation as to whether we should last experience, when, had we been a couple of hours earlier, we should have succeeded in reaching our peak. At 5.40 we stopped for breakfast at the first rocks of the arête. Zurbriggen screwed the long nails we had with us into Clark's boots, and we put on our crampons. At 6.10 we were off, zigzagging our way up the ice névé. Our crampons here saved our cutting steps, as we had done the time before. I put Clark last on the rope, and he managed to scramble up somehow with the assistance of the rope. He was very keen to make the ascent, so I did not like to leave him behind. We soon reached the spot where we had to turn the big crevasse and seracs that we had thought on the former occasion would prove an impassable barrier to our ascent. continue or turn back. Mount Tasman now rose above us with a very steep arête, all cut across by crevasses, and we calculated that we should have three hours' work before us. We at last decided to go ou a little to the foot of the ascent. To do this we had to descend some way down the face of the Silberhorn, as we were cut off by a huge bergschrund from the arête leading straight from Silberhorn to Tasman. I was surprised to find that Silberhorn was such an independent peak- by itself, as it were. It looks from below like a mere knob on the arête of Tasman, but in reality it stands out quite by itself, and is a distinct peak, there being a marked col between it and Tasman. After going down some little way, and skirting along the west face, we reached this col, and arrived at the final arête of Tasman a little past 11 A.M. The wind was now blowing a gale, and white, fleecy clouds encircled us on every side, so that at one minute we were in the midst of thick mist, and at another minute the sun shone through, and we could see the peak for a mo Here we found everything greatly changed. Some new crevasses had opened up, and some of the biggest blocks of seracs had fallen. After a little time and patience, however, we succeeded in threading our way through this, and started on the last bit of the arête of Silberhorn. This we found very steep. We passed the placement. Here we stopped again to dewhere we had turned back the time cide whether to push on or not. It before; the notch I had cut out of seemed a pity to turn back when we the ridge was still quite perceptible, were so near our goal. We therefore although filled up with new snow. Our resolved not to be beaten, and so, steps, of course, were entirely effaced. | leaving everything that we had with I could not help noticing that we were very much farther off here than we had thought on the day when we turned back. From this place to the summit of the Silberhorn took us an hour and ten minutes. We had to cut steps all the way. Zurbriggen made very small ones, and I hollowed them out so that they would do for Clark, who had no crampons. Also we wished to have good steps for the descent, as we had a vivid recollection of our descent the last time, when we were nearly blown off our feet. As it turned out, these large steps proved our salvation. At 10.30 we reached the peak. The wind was now blowing up so strong, and the clouds were gathering so fast in the north-west, that we held us in a small hole that we hollowed out of the ice, we started out with the determination to reach the summit at all costs. A steep wall of ice rose up here, nearly perpendicular, where the gla cier had broken away from the arête. This wall was about thirty feet high, and took us some time to manage. We now put Clark in the middle, and Zurbriggen started off working in magnificent style. The ice rattled down on our heads, cutting our faces and hands. I spent my time enlarging every step as much as possible, having the descent always in view. We were now almost totally enveloped in the mist. In about half an hour we had passed this wall, and were now upon the snow névé of the arête. We continued now for half an hour, when suddenly the summit to be turned, and a large covered creloomed up in a most unexpected way, vasse to be crossed. I got to the edge, not twenty yards from us. I was ex- and then turning round, I made Clark cessively surprised when we reached come near me, so that I might jump. it, as I had expected a sharp, conical As I jumped, however, he unforpeak of ice or snow from the nature of tunately pulled the rope, landing me the mountain. It, however, turned in the centre of the very frail bridge. out to be quite a little plateau, triangular in form, and large enough to have pitched a couple of good tents upon. As we were on the summit, the clouds cleared for a moment, and I was able to see down the arête leading to Lendenfeldt. If it were possible to get on to this arête, the last part leading to the summit would certainly be easier than our route up from the Silberhorn; but it would be difficult and perhaps dangerous to reach the arête, owing to the nature of the overhanging glaciers around. We commenced the descent almost at once; it was too cold to stop, and the wind seemed to cut right through us. As I had expected, the wind had filled up almost all our steps with fine, powdery snow. I went first, then came Clark, and Zurbriggen brought up the rear. I had to hollow out each step coming down. The nasty steep bits of the arête leading down from the Silberhorn were still before us, so we advanced as quickly as possible. The wind was blowing a terrific gale now, but fortunately we were sheltered coming down to the col, as we had cut up on the east side of the arête. When we regained the col, I took several photographs, but owing to the narrowness of the arête and the wind, and the general sense of hurry, I was not able to do much. It was now half past one, and the weather seemed to be getting worse every moment. We hurried on to the Silberhorn, and there at once began our descent. Here the steps were cut in the crest of the arête, and we were exposed to the full blast of the nor'wester. We had to move very carefully, and if it had not been for the large steps we had hollowed out in the morning, I don't know how we should have got down. We got on all right till we reached the first crevasse on the arête. Here there is a corner of ice that has I heard it crack, and I called out to Zurbriggen, who was round the corner on the south-west side of the arête and out of sight, to hold tight, and in a moment the whole thing gave way under me with a tremendous crash. I fell for about twelve feet, and some of the large blocks of ice that fell with me hit me on the head, stunning me for a moment. The rope held tight, and in a moment I regained my senses. I at once wedged myself with my back on one side and my feet on the other, and in this position I managed to cut a couple of steps, one on each side of the crevasse. I then with some difficulty got into these, and was then soon able to cut my way out. The others could not assist me at all, as they were so badly placed themselves. I then undid myself from the rope, and let the others make a detour so as to come to me. They were not able to cross where I had crossed, as the whole bridge was broken in. I sat down for a little to regain my senses; I was not really hurt, but I was considerably shaken by the fall, and my head was rather painful. However, after I had taken a mouthful of brandy I felt better, and we recommenced our descent. It was now snowing and blowing so furiously that it was all I could do to find our tracks of the morning, and frequently we had to wander about quite a little time before finding them. At half past four we reached the last rocks of the arête, and commenced our descent into the great snow plateau. Here I sent Zurbriggen on ahead. The weather was now lifting slightly, and we had no trouble in crossing the plateau; the snow, however, was very soft, and we had a good deal of difficulty with some of the crevasses. We soon reached Glacier Dome, and scrambled down the rocks. We had one very narrow escape here from a stone rolled down by Clark. We ar- the arête leading to Mount Haidinger rived about 6.30 at our tent bivouac, from the col between it and Mount and were delighted to find that it was quite dry and uninjured by the wind. The time occupied by the ascent and descent was sixteen hours, out of which we had fourteen and a half on the rope. We were much fatigued, as the whole day had been almost incessant work at step-cutting. Haast. He arrived late in the evening, saying that it was impossible, as there were enormous crevasses cutting us off. We therefore decided that we would go up the Glacier Dome, then, skirting along the plateau under the arête of Haast, finally strike that arête, and thus continue to Haast; then, if there was time, go on to Haidinger. On February 8 Haidinger was success- So we determined to make an early fully ascended. start. February 8. - About half past twelve February 6.- This morning I de- Zurbriggen woke us up; we did our cided to send Clark and Zurbriggen best to make an early start of it, but down to the Ball hut for some more everything seemed to block our progprovisions. I told them to come up on ress, and it was not till a quarter past the following day, as there were suffi- two that we managed to leave our cient provisions for me in camp till bivouac. In an hour we were on the then. They left at ten in the morning. last rocks of the Hochstetter ridge. I spent the day in drying our effects, The morning was intensely cold, and and generally arranging and mending the snow in excellent condition. We the tent, which was in a most dilapi- now turned off to the right, and travdated condition. As night came on elled along the snow plateau for about the weather turned bad again; and at half an hour. Then we tried to turn nine o'clock in the evening I had to go up the second couloir from the Hochout and tie an extra rope to the tent stetter rock that leads on to the arête poles, fearing that the whole thing, going up to Haast. Here we found with myself inside, would be blown ourselves cut off by an immense bergdown the couloir leading to the Hoch-schrund, so we had to retrace our steps, stetter Glacier. I sat up most of the night, holding on to the tent-pole, when an unusually hard gust seemed to nearly blow the whole thing over. The sides of the tent flapped in the wind, and made a most tremendous noise. and take the arête from the very beginning. Here we were some time crossing a large crevasse by lantern light. Once on the arête we found that the rocks were in a most fearfully rotten condition; the slightest touch would at times bring down masses of stone, and we had to be very careful lest these stones in falling should strike either one of us or the rope. At six o'clock we stopped for a bit of breakfast; the sun had now risen, and the day looked promising. February 7.-Early in the morning a stone avalanche came down the couloir near the tent, but luckily none of the stones hit it. At sunrise the weather cleared, and the wind changed, and blew gently from the south-west. In the afternoon Zurbriggen arrived ; he had been rather anxious on my account that night at the Ball hut, as he said that the wind blew so hard that he even feared the roof would be torn off the hut. Clark arrived a little later. We now had provisions for several mit. After we had gone a good way days, so I determined to try Haidinger next. Zurbriggen went out to see if we could go straight across the head of the Freshfield Glacier, and thus reach Haidinger appeared most hopelessly far off from here. I took some photographs of it, and also of Haast from this point. In half an hour we were off again. We went as fast as the rotten condition of the rocks would per up the Haast arête, we thought we might cut across the face of the mountain, and get on to the head of the Freshfield Glacier, and so to the col we wished to reach. We accordingly set out to accomplish this traverse, but soon found that we had got ourselves on to a very dangerous place; stones came whizzing by every moment, and we had to run as fast as we could, although the incline was difficult. At last we reached a rib, where we could rest in safety for a few moments. From here we saw that we had to cross the glacier at a point where it was strewn with avalanche débris. Above, some large seracs, just at the col, seemed to threaten to sweep our path. We now began to discuss what we had best do. It was evident that we could reach the Haidinger arête in a short time from there, but then the mountain itself looked so far off. At last we determined to try it, so we started out, and crossed the head of the glacier as quickly as we could. By about eight o'clock we had passed the dangerous part, and now had to go up a steep slope on to the col. There was a large bergschrund here that rose up with its further lip some ten feet or more above the lower. Here I got on to Zurbriggen's shoulders, and Clark steadied me; then I planted my ice-axe into the snow, and Zurbriggen, putting his iceaxe under my feet, managed to shove me up. This was accomplished after some failures and some rather unpleasant falls. Once I had reached the upper lip, I cut a large step for myself, and planting my ice-axe well into the snow, I pulled Clark up; then both of us together managed to haul Zurbriggen up. We now continued towards the arête, and in a few minutes we were on it. than we thought. Almost all of it was snow, except one small bit of rock halfway between the col and the summit of Haidinger. Just as we were approaching the peak, about a hundred feet below the top, we struck a patch of blue ice. We turned, and bearing away to the left, we gained some rocks. Here a huge boulder was detached by one of us, and it was one of the largest blocks I have ever seen fall; it went down in tremendous bounds till it reached the Fox Glacier; jumping the bergschrund, it shot right on to the glacier, and remained standing there alone, far away from any other rocks that had fallen. At 10.20 we reached the summit. The day was a perfect one; not a breath of wind stirred. After we had partaken of some refreshment, and had drunk a bottle of claret (Zurbriggen always insisted on taking a bottle of wine up these peaks, as he said it was so useful to leave as a record of the ascent), we laid ourselves down and slept for about a couple of hours. I have never seen such magnificent weather upon any peak. I noticed that almost all the rocks on the summit had been fused by lightning; they were all cracked and covered with little bubbles, and blackened over these. I took many photographs from the summit, while Zurbriggen smoked his reg ulation cigar. At ordinary times he smoked a pipe, but when on the summit of a peak he says he always does honor to it by smoking a cigar. At one we commenced our descent. We came down without incident worthy of record to where we had left our knapsack, Here a most maguificent view opened just after crossing the worst part of the out before us. All the West Coast, Freshfield Glacier in the morning. It with its green valleys and lagoons lay was then about half past two, and I at our feet; the sea beyond was envel-stopped to take some photographs of oped in a mass of clouds lying quite these overhanging seracs. We then low, giving the appearance of a vast crossed over without accident to the desert of sand; the sun was beating arête of Haast. We found the rocks down fiercely, and we suffered a good stiil looser now that the sun had thawed deal from the heat. Right at our feet out all the ice that had bound them in lay the great névé of the Fox Glacier. the morning. We had several slight We now commenced the ascent along accidents, and some nasty cuts. At the arête; the walking was not bad, half past six we regained our bivouac, and we found that we progressed faster thoroughly wearied from the day's work. We found the ground unusu-aged to get over them safely. We had ally hard to sleep on that night. to wind in and out amongst these seracs to get through, and although the From the time of his arrival Mount moon gave us a great deal of light we Sefton had been the object of Mr. found it very difficult work. Part of the FitzGerald's ambition. His first glacier hung above us in an ominous attempt was made on January 11, fashion, and as we passed over the in the company of Messrs. Ollivier, débris of former ice avalanches, we Mannering, and Adamson, but the kept looking up anxiously lest some of weather proved hopeless. On Jan- the pinnacles that appeared as if they uary 22 he started alone with were tottering above us should fall. Zurbriggen, arranging with Mr. After a time we came to an enormous Barrow to signal to them from the crevasse about a couple of hundred feet Hermitage in case the barometer in width, which ran the whole width of should fall. So violent a wind, the glacier and blocked us completely. however, rose that they turned This it was impossible to pass, as it back only to discover too late was very deep, and both sides of it that the day proved fine! On were vertical. We had therefore to each occasion they passed the skirt along the edge of it until we night in a bivouac just below the reached the rock ridge which rises out snow-line. On January 25 and of the Huddleston glacier, and leads 29 and on February 12 similar to the col between Sefton and the Footattempts were made by them with stool. Here we had to get down into a no better results. On February 13 they again reached the bivouac, and on the 14th the ascent was made at last. We crevasse to get to the rocks, as the glacier had broken away to such an extent that there was a great deal of space between it and the rocks. We now found that we were in the path of February 13. - At about eight o'clock falling stones. We therefore gained we reached the bivouac, and made the rocks as quickly as possible, and ourselves comfortable for the night. began scrambling on to the arête. We This time we had the sleeping-bags found the rocks extremely loose and that Clark had brought up before. in a most dangerous condition. I have The moon rose soon after we arrived never seen anything like the way in and gave most magnificent light, so at which they seemed to be balanced one about midnight we decided to start. on top of another, as if by the hand Zurbriggen lit a fire and made some of man; sometimes the slightest touch tea; we took some provisions, and I would bring down tons of stone. took my camera, and we divided our had to be very careful, especially in the loads into two rucksacks. We put on rather uncertain light. The rope our crampons and roped ourselves to- every once in a while would catch gether at the bivouac, as we knew there against some stone and bring down was some steep ice just at the start. whole avalanches of stone. At about February 14. At 12.45 we were off. a quarter past five we reached the last We climbed up towards the Footstool rocks of this arête. There now exfor about an hour on the glacier, wind-tended before us a long snow ridge, ing our way between huge crevasses extremely steep, leading to the col. which had opened out in every direc- We began cutting steps up this, as we tion since our last attempt. After we found that it was hard ice, and that our reached the last rocks we started out crampons were not sufficiently sharp to to cross the plateau towards Sefton. hold safely to it. They were, howHere we found the glacier in a terrible ever, of great assistance to us, as the condition; some of the ice bridges steps we cut were very small; in fact, were very thin and treacherous; how- had we not had them, we should have ever, as it was extremely cold we man-lost fully three hours here. |