ast, and after a few more lumps of
yak, our tent being gone, we drew his hide over us and rested as best
we could, knowing that at least we had no more avalanches to fear. That
night it froze sharply, so that had it not been for the yak's hide and
the other rugs and garments, which fortunately we were wearing when the
snow-slide began, it would, I think, have gone hard with us. As it was,
we suffered a great deal.

"Horace," said Leo at the dawn, "I am going to leave this. If we have
to die, I would rather do so moving; but I don't believe that we shall
die."

"Very well," I said, "let us start. If the snow won't bear us now, it
never will."

So we tied up our rugs and the yak's hide in two bundles and, having cut
off some more of the frozen meat, began our descent. Now, although the
mount was under two hundred feet high, its base, fortunately for us--for
otherwise it must have been swept away by the mighty pressure of the
avalanche--was broad, so that there was a long expanse of piled-up snow
between us and the level ground.

Since, owing to the overhanging conformation of the place, it was quite
impossible for us to descend in front where pressure had made the snow
hard as stone, we were obliged to risk a march over the looser material
upon its flank. As there was nothing to be gained by waiting, off
we went, Leo leading and step by step trying the snow. To our joy we
discovered that the sharp night frost had so hardened its surface that
it would support us. About half way down, however, where the pressure
had been less, it became much softer, so that we were forced to lie
upon our faces, which enabled us to distribute our weight over a larger
surface, and thus slither gently down the hill.

All went well until we were within twenty paces of the bottom, where
we must cross a soft mound formed of the powdery dust thrown off by the
avalanche in its rush. Leo slipped over safely, but I, following a yard
or two to his right, of a sudden felt the hard crust yield beneath
me. An ill-judged but quite natural flounder and wriggle, such as a
newly-landed flat-fish gives upon the sand, completed the mischief, and
with one piercing but swiftly stifled yell, I vanished.

Any one who has ever sunk in deep water will know that the sensation
is not pleasant, but I can assure him that to go through the same
experience in soft snow is infinitely worse; mud alone could surpass its
terrors. Down I went, and down, till at length I