elected to
deceive us by demonstrating how easily and safely the descent might be
made, now took his little sledge and placed it upon the large square
ice-slab at the top of the hill. He lay down upon it, on his waistcoat,
his head stretching a little way in front, his legs a long way behind.
Upon his hands were huge leather fingerless gloves, for purposes of
steering, 'You touch the ice gently on the side towards which you want
to go,' he explained. 'Now, watch--there is no difficulty, and you
cannot hurt yourself.'

He allowed himself to slip over the edge. Straight as an arrow his
little sledge darted down the slope; no bird could have flown quicker or
straighter; he reached the level ice-run and fled meteor-like along it;
almost before one realised that he had well started upon his course, he
had reached the end of it. In two minutes he was on his return journey;
down the second hill he flashed, in a moment he was at our side--it was
wonderful!

One or two other exponents went through the same performance; there was
no suggestion of danger or of possible disaster; one simply flew upon
the wings of the wind--that was the impression given by these skilled
deceivers.

'I'll toss you, Denison, who goes first,' said Watson.

We tossed, and, of course, I lost. I always do on these occasions.

'Your shot first, then,' said Watson, and I prepared myself for
execution. The fact that every one of the thirty guests present now
quickly crowded round the ice-slab, which was, as it were, the perch
from which one sprang off into space, struck me as grimly suggestive.

'What happens if one hits a lantern-post?' I asked.

'Oh, they come down,' I was told. 'They can't hurt you; they are very
slender and only stuck lightly in the snow.'

'Steer very gently,' said some one; 'it's best to touch the ice as
little as possible.'

'Keep your head, that's the chief thing,' said another adviser.

'You have got your ticket, haven't you?' remarked a humorist. 'Don't
give it up till you reach the end of the journey.'

Then they put me straight and tipped me over, and for about ten yards I
travelled, by favour of a good start, without incident. The sensation of
tipping over the edge was indescribable; I don't know exactly what my
heart did, but it was evidently highly surprised and disgusted, and
probably thought I had insanely jumped over a cliff; I think it stopped
beating; I felt, for a moment, sick and giddy; I shut my eyes for t