to stir; as it was, he could hardly climb back to the place from
which he started. Cut he strove hard to restore the failing
circulation, keeping his body in active motion, till, by slow degrees,
his natural activity returned, and, forgetting the weariness produced by
such a night of exertion, he felt ready to do anything towards finding
and rescuing his officer.

"There's no mistake about it," he muttered, "standing still up in these
parts means hands and feet freezing hard. It's wonderful, though, how
these sheepskins keep out the cold. I ought to feel worse than I do,
though, at a time like this; but it's because I won't believe the
gov'nor's dead. It ain't possible, like, for it's so much more sudden
than being caught by a bullet through the heart. Oh he ain't dead--he
can't be--I won't believe it. Tumbled down into the soft snow
somewhere, and on'y wants me to go down and help him out."

He took another turn up and down to keep up the circulation, and by this
time he could move about freely, and without having to climb the ascent
in dread of going too far and reaching the perilous edge, with its
treachery of snow.

"Getting lighter fast," he said, "and I shall be able to get to work
soon. And that's it. I've got to think o' that. There's no help to be
got. You've got to find all the help in yourself, old man. My! ain't
it beautiful how the light's coming! It's just as if the angels was
pouring glory on the tops o' the mountains, and it's running more and
more down the sides, till these great holes and hollows are full, and
it's day once more."

As the golden rays of sunshine came lower, the mountain in front grew
dazzling in its beauty. Minute by minute the glaciers which combed its
sides leaped into sight, shining with dazzling beauty, like rivers and
falls of golden water; the dark rifts and chasms became purple,
lightening into vivid blue; and the reflected light kept on flashing
upon hollows and points, till, saving the lower portions, the vast mass
of tumbled-together ice and snow shone with a glory that filled the
ignorant common lad with a strange feeling of awe.

This passed off directly, however; and, as the darkness on a level with
where he stood grew more and more transparent, Gedge's active mind was
searching everything in the most practical way, in connection with the
task he had in hand. He could see now dimly that the snow to right and
left of him curved over the vast gulf in front