shall not have to cut our way
through briars. I'll lead now. Forward!"

They started at once, and soon found the journeying far more rough than
either could have imagined, for what had looked in the distance a pebbly
track was a slope burdened with blocks of shaley rock, which yielded to
their tread, and slipped and rattled to such an extent that Bracy was
glad to strike off higher still, towards the snow, which ran up in a
beautiful curve towards one of the nearest mountains, round whose
shoulder they could make a cut which would bring them out miles nearer
their goal.

At the end of a couple of miles the bottom of the snow-slope was
reached, and the line of demarcation was boldly marked, the flattened,
broken stones ending at once, so that the leader stepped directly upon
the dazzling crystals, which filled in all the little rifts and hollows,
and treacherously promised smooth, easy going for miles. But Bracy was
undeceived at the first step, for he plunged his leg to the knee in
granular snow, as yielding and incoherent as so much sand. Withdrawing
it, he walked on a few steps and tried again, to find the frozen
particles just as yielding; while Gedge had the same experience.

"Not much chance o' sliding and skating over this stuff, sir," he cried.

"No. It is impossible. We should be done up at the end of a mile. We
must keep to the rocks and stones."

Bracy was looking wistfully at the soft, tempting-looking expanse, when
a quick movement on Gedge's part took his attention.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Didn't you say we must soon be thinking of shooting something for
rations?"

"Yes. But it is too soon yet. We don't want anything more to carry.
But what can you see?"

"Looks like a drove o' somethings, sir--goats, I think--right across the
snow yonder, where there's a dark mark like rocks. I can't quite make
'em out; for I dessay it's a couple o' miles away; but it's moving."

"Wait a moment," said Bracy; and he got out his glass, set the butt of
his rifle on a stone, and rested the glass on the muzzle, so as to get a
steady look.

"I see nothing," he said--"nothing but field after field of snow, with a
few rocky ridges; and beyond them, rocks again, a long slope, and--Yes,
I see now. Why, Gedge, man, there must be a couple of hundred."

"Well, sir, we don't want 'em," said Gedge, on the fox and grapes
principle; "and goat's meat's awful strong, no matter how you cook it."

"Goats? Nonsens