Ralph Connor

“ Without a word, we look our fill and turn to the descent. A hundred yards or more and we come upon our party who, with a reckless ambition, have been climbing after us. But the whole back of the Cascade lies now in shadow, and, though half an hour will do it, we dare not encourage them to take the risk. The party has been successful, though individuals have failed. ”

“ The ladies of our party were already a grotesquely solemn warning that petticoats and flimsy skirts are not for mountain climbers. And it was with some considerable concern that we made the further discovery that kid boots are better for drawing-rooms. But in spite of shredded skirts and fraying boots, our ladies faced the slope with not even the faintest sign of fainting hearts.
An hour more, and we began to get views; views so wonderful as to make even the ladies forget their fluttering skirts and clogging petticoats and fast disintegrating boots. ”

“ Besides, while the climbing is not excessively steep, the going has become very difficult, for the slope is now one mass of scree, so that the whole face of the mountain moves with every step. Still, the peak is very perceptibly nearer, and the party has endured already so much that it is exceedingly loath to accept defeat. Then, too, the atmosphere has become so rare, that the climbing is hard on the wind, as the Professor says. The ladies, despite shredded skirts and torn shoes, however, are keen to advance, and without waiting for further parley, gallantly strike out for the peak. ”

“ The ladies begin to share the anxiety of the men, knowing full well that it is they who constitute the serious element in the situation. With bitter reluctance they finally decide that they will not ask the men to assume any greater responsibility than they already bear. It is agreed that the men shall make a half-hour dash for the summit, while the ladies await their return. Stripping themselves of all incumbrances, the Professor and the Missionary make a final attempt to achieve the peak, the Californian gallantly offering to remain with the ladies. ”

“ It is now late in the afternoon, and a council of war is held to decide whether, with all the return journey before us, it is safe to still attempt the peak. We have no experience in descending mountains, and, therefore, we cannot calculate the time required. The trail to the camp is quite unknown to us, and there is always the possibility of accident. ”

“ It is here we meet our first accident for the day. The Lady from Winnipeg has the misfortune to turn her ankle. But there is no lack of bandages in the party. In fact, by this time the ladies' skirts consist chiefly of bandages, so that with foot well swathed, and stopping now and then for repairs to the ladies' boots, slipping, sliding, stumbling, leaping, we finally, in a more or less battered condition, arrive at camp. ”

“ The descent accomplished, the Missionary with his loyal following reluctantly proceeded to follow the rest of the party, who had by this time gone round the head of the gulch, or the couloir in expert phrasing, and were some distance in advance. A stern chase is a long chase, and almost always disheartening. ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1937, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 86 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”