nd no doubt the coming darkness and weird surroundings did
not affect him as they did me, and my anxiety after all was then more on
his account than my own, for without him I knew I could feel my way back
alone.

As I moved to turn, the horse twisted round as if on a pivot and
followed me like a cat, indeed he could see the track better than I
could, and exhibited little nervousness as he crept along with his nose
near the ground, and testing every step before he trusted the weight of
his body on it. I was very thankful when we at length emerged from that
frowning and dark chasm as it now appeared, with the foaming water away
in its black depths and an icy wind blowing directly from it.

But what were we to do now? In the darkness it would be impossible to
either go onward or return the way I had come, and the fact that I was
benighted, and in a very nasty position too, now struck me clearly; but
there was nothing for it but to make the best of a bad job.

Outside the narrow gorge it was considerably lighter, and I had no
difficulty in finding my way a bit up towards the pass, where I
fortunately discovered a patch of tall snow grass between the tussocks
of which the ground had been partly sheltered from the snow, and near
this I stumbled on a quantity of "Irishman" scrub which had recently
been burnt and was easily broken down. So far this was lucky, for it
secured me the means of making a fire, without which it would have been
impossible, I believe, to live till the morning, which was still some
sixteen hours distant.

I tethered my horse to a tussock, and selecting a couple of large ones,
knotted their tops together, forming thereby a little room about four
feet long by two wide. In this I cut and spread some more snow grass and
pushed my saddle and blanket to one end. This did not occupy many
minutes, and now I had to break down and collect firewood to last me
during the night. When all was done I felt terribly hungry, the little
bit of food I had brought with me I had eaten early in the day, and the
fact that I had not a morsel left increased my longing for it.
Fortunately I had a supply of tobacco and a box of wax vestas, and I
smoked continuously. I dared not attempt to lie down to sleep, for I had
not covering enough to keep me warm, and indeed I felt no desire for
sleep. I was too much concerned about the night; if heavy snow fell I
would find it very difficult to move, even when daylight appeared, and
it w