l. They felt they just had to lie down, and did so, and
became thoroughly chilled, which added to their pangs of nausea. After
awhile we proceeded very slowly. No longer their song echoed against
the cliffs. They broke their pained silence only to grumble at one
another.

Midway of the rock-slide of the trough, they stopped, and like balky
mules, refused to go forward or turn back. In vain I urged them to
start down, assuring them the lower altitude would bring relief. The
sick men didn't care what happened; they craved instant relief by death
or any other instantaneous method, as seasick persons always do. Their
more fortunate friend looked at them in disgust, as those who have
escaped the consequences of their deeds often look at those who have
not. He upbraided me for not keeping them from making fools of
themselves. I knew argument with him would be futile in his
quarrelsome frame of mind. I kept still. His sick companions crawled
beneath an overhanging rock, and lay shivering and shaking, too
miserable to sleep. Presently he joined them, sputtering at me as the
author of all their troubles. His sputterings grew intermittent,
ceased. He was audibly asleep.

After a long time one of his pals demanded.

"Who in the ---- proposed this ---- trip anyway?"

The conduct of these men was not unique. Most climbers start out
exuberantly, burn up more energy than they can spare for the first part
of the trip, and find themselves physically bankrupt before they've
reached their goal. The rarefied air of the high country seems to make
them lightheaded! The most disagreeable character to have in a party,
as in other situations, is the bully, or know-it-all, who spoils
everyone's fun. A guide is a trifle handicapped in handling such
people, in that his civilized inhibitions restrain him from pushing
them off the cliffs or entombing them in a crevasse. I was too small
to do them physical violence anyway, so I had to resort to more subtle
weapons, the most effective being ridicule. If a joke could be turned
on the disturber he generally subsided. The rest of the crowd were
profuse in their expressions of gratitude to me for such service
rendered.

Such an individual was once a member of a fishing party I guided to
Bear Lake. The trip was made on horseback and we hadn't gone a mile
before he urged his horse out of line and raced ahead, calling to some
kindred spirit to follow. They missed the turn and del