summoned to act on a
jury. Come along and have yourselves impaled--I mean to say
impannelled. A most important case, just going on for trial."

"What is the nature of the case?" asked Lawrence, as they all came
forward and sat down in a semicircle before Mrs Stoutley.

"It han't got no natur--it's unnateral altogether," said the Captain,
who had just heard it briefly stated by the Count.

"Hallo! are you appointed public prosecutor?" demanded Lewis.

"Yes, I am," retorted the Captain, "I've appinted myself public
persecuter, Lord Advocate, Lord High Commissioner to the Woolsack, an'
any other legal an' illegal character ye choose to name. So you clap a
stopper on yer muzzle, youngster, while I state the case. Here is Mrs
Stoutley, my lords, ladies, and gentlemen, who says that climbin', an'
gaugin', and glaciers is foolish and useless. That's two counts which
the Count here (nothin' personal meant) says the prisoner was guilty of.
We'll go in an' win on the last count, for if these things ain't
useless, d'ee see, they can't be foolish. Well, the question is,
`Guilty or not guilty?'"

"Guilty!" replied Mrs Stoutley, with an amused smile.

"Hear! hear!" from Slingsby.

"Silence in the Court!" from Lewis.

"I'm afraid," said the Professor, "that our forms of legal procedure are
somewhat irregular."

"Never mind that, Professor," said the Captain, "you go ahead an' prove
the prisoner wrong. Take the wind out of her sails if 'ee can."

The Professor smiled blandly, and began in jest; but his enthusiastic
spirit and love of abstract truth soon made him argue in earnest.

"Oh, that's all very well," said Mrs Stoutley, interrupting him, "but
what possible use can there be in knowing the rate of speed at which a
glacier flows? What does it matter whether it flows six, or sixty, or
six hundred feet in a day?"

"Matter!" cried Lewis, before the Professor could reply, "why, it
matters very much indeed. I can prove it. Our excellent guide Antoine
told me of a man who fell into a crevasse high up on the Glacier des
Bossons, and was of course lost; but about forty years afterwards the
part of the glacier into which he fell had descended into the valley,
and the body of the man was found--at least portions of it were found
here and there. This, as you are all aware, is a well-known fact. Bear
in mind, in connection with this, that all glaciers do not travel at the
same rate, nor all parts of a glacier at an eq