e light was fading off part of the ridge and if he
waited a while, the discharge might cease. The trouble was that he was
getting very cold. He smoked another pipe, and as he heard no further
crashes, he cautiously ventured out and regained the deepest part of the
gully. His joints ached, his muscles felt sore, but there was a break in
the rocks some distance higher up and he determined to climb to it.

The effort was severe, but he reached the spot, breathless, and carefully
looked about. The sunshine had now vanished from the crest of the rocks
and he supposed the stones would soon freeze fast again, but there would
be only another hour or two of daylight and he must gain a place of
safety before it grew dark. An incautious movement would precipitate him
from his insecure refuge and he could not contemplate his remaining there
through the night. Then he grew angry with Kermode.

It was difficult to believe this was the easiest way into the valley
where the railroad man had made his discovery; the latter, being used to
the ranges, had, no doubt, taken it to shorten the distance, and Kermode
should have objected. Kermode, however, never paused to think; he
cheerfully plunged into the first folly that appealed to him and left
other people to bear the consequences. Then, having rested, Prescott saw
that there were weak points in this reasoning, since the man he was
following must have climbed the slope, and, what was more, that his
irritation led to no result. He could consider such matters when he had
reached the summit, and in order to do so, he must get on at once.

No more stones came down, but after Prescott had gone some distance a
fresh difficulty confronted him. The gully was getting steeper, and the
holes had disappeared; he supposed that the snow had softened in the
sunshine earlier in the day and slipping down had filled up the recesses.
He had, however, discovered that one could kick through the hard crust
and make a hole to stand in, provided it were done carefully, and he went
up by this means, wondering whether his boots would hold out until he
reached the top, and stopping every few yards for breath. It was
exhausting work after a long march and he was heavily loaded, but it
could not be shirked, and he crawled up, watching the distance shorten
foot by foot. Once a step broke away and he slid back a yard before he
brought up with hands buried deep in the snow and the perspiration
streaming from him in his