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diff --git a/old/60919-0.txt b/old/60919-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a2917b2..0000000 --- a/old/60919-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4656 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, With Axe and Rope in the New Zealand Alps, by -George Edward Mannering - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: With Axe and Rope in the New Zealand Alps - - -Author: George Edward Mannering - - - -Release Date: December 14, 2019 [eBook #60919] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH AXE AND ROPE IN THE NEW -ZEALAND ALPS*** - - -E-text prepared by F E H, MWS, and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 60919-h.htm or 60919-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60919/60919-h/60919-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60919/60919-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/withaxeropeinnew00mann - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - A caret character is used to denote superscription. Multiple - superscripted characters are enclosed by curly brackets - following a caret character (example: 16^{th}). - - Changes made are noted at the end of the book. - - - - -THE NEW ZEALAND ALPS - -Printed by -Spottiswoode and Co., New-Street Square -London - - -[Illustration: - -[Wheeler & Son, Photo. - -G. E. Mannering Mr. J. Dixon P. H. Johnson -CLIMBING PARTY ON THE TASMAN GLACIER] - - -WITH AXE AND ROPE -IN -THE NEW ZEALAND ALPS - -by - -GEORGE EDWARD MANNERING - -Member of the New Zealand Alpine Club -Member of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia -Member of the Philosophical Institute Of Canterbury, N.Z. - -With Illustrations - - - - - - -London -Longmans, Green, and Co. -And New York: 15 East 16^{th} Street - -1891 - -All rights reserved - - - - - THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED - TO ALL LOVERS OF NATURE - - - - -PREFACE - - -This short work contains the story of five seasons’ climbing and -exploring in the New Zealand Alps. Most of the material embodied in it -has already appeared from time to time, in rather a different form, in -the Christchurch (N.Z.) ‘Weekly Press.’ - -The author trusts that the publication of the same in book form, -together with a map of the locality and a few photographic -reproductions, will supply a want in the shape of a guide-book to the -Alpine mountain district which is already beginning to be felt by -tourists in New Zealand; and he hopes that the contents may not prove -uninteresting to the general public, more especially to Swiss and -Caucasian climbers, few of whom are perhaps aware of the extent and -nature of the New Zealand Alpine chain. - -The map is compiled by the New Zealand Government Survey Office from -the work of Mr. T. N. Brodrick, Government Surveyor, and that of Dr. -R. von Lendenfeld. The illustrations are from photographs by Messrs. -Wheeler and Son. Their operator has in several mountain expeditions -accompanied the author, who takes this opportunity of expressing his -thanks to the New Zealand Government Survey Department, and to Messrs. -Wheeler, for their kind assistance. - -It will doubtless be said that the summit of Aorangi has not yet been -attained: quite true. Like Mr. Green, the author and his friend were -‘wise in time.’ Yet it is only a quibble to dispute the ascent of the -mountain, for being on the ice-cap of Aorangi is like being on the -topmost rung of a ladder, and yet not upon the projections above that -step. - - CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND: - _April 13, 1891_. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I - - INTRODUCTORY - - PAGE - - The New Zealand Alps and their glaciers 1 - - - CHAPTER II - - THE ROUTE TO THE MOUNT COOK DISTRICT - - A short description of the route to the Mount Cook district, and of - the topographical features of the Mueller, Hooker, and Tasman - Valleys 5 - - - CHAPTER III - - FIRST ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - - First impressions—Swagging—The Hochstetter Glacier—Defeat—The - perils of river crossing 14 - - - CHAPTER IV - - SECOND ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - - A flooded camp in the Tasman Valley—Hard struggles—We reach - Green’s bivouac 32 - - - CHAPTER V - - THIRD ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - - Photography on the Tasman Glacier—Attempt to scale Mount De la - Bêche 42 - - - CHAPTER VI - - ASCENT OF THE HOCHSTETTER DOME - - Camp under De la Bêche—Twelve hours on snow and ice—The - pangs of hunger 58 - - - CHAPTER VII - - FOURTH ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - - We reach the Great Plateau at last—Defeat again—The crossing of - the Ball Pass 65 - - - CHAPTER VIII - - FIRST EXPLORATION OF THE MURCHISON GLACIER - - Hard swagging—Erroneous maps—The struggle for Starvation - Saddle—Exhaustion and hunger—Return 76 - - - CHAPTER IX - - FIFTH ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - - Avalanches—The bivouac again—First attempt repulsed—Second - attempt—The Great Plateau—The Linda Glacier—Hard work - step-cutting—The terrible _couloirs_—Victory at last—Descent - by lantern-light—Back to civilisation 90 - - - CHAPTER X - - ON SOME OF THE PHENOMENA OF GLACIERS - - The cause of glaciers—Formation and structure—Motion—Moraines: - Lateral, medial, and terminal—‘Surface’ - moraines—Crevasses—Moulins—Glacier tables—Glacier cones—Surface - torrents—Avalanches—Cornices 109 - - - CHAPTER XI - - CANOEING ON THE NEW ZEALAND RIVERS - - The Waimakariri—The enormous rainfall—Descent of the Waitaki - River—The Tasman branch—Lake Pukaki—Leaky canoes—The - Pukaki Rapids—The Waitaki Gorge—Out on the plains again—Sixty - miles paddle to catch the train—Home once more 119 - - - L’ENVOI 131 - - APPENDIX 133 - - A SHORT GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL ALPINE TERMS 139 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - CLIMBING PARTY ON THE TASMAN GLACIER _Frontispiece_ - - HOOKER VALLEY AND MOUNT SEFTON FROM GOVERNOR’S CAMP _To face page_ 8 - - AORANGI: MOUNT COOK AND THE HOOKER GLACIER ” 10 - - MOUNT TASMAN (11,475 FEET) AND HOCHSTETTER ICE-FALL ” 28 - - MOUNT COOK AND THE HERMITAGE ” 46 - - CROSSING THE HOOKER RIVER ” 48 - - AORANGI FROM THE BALL GLACIER ” 50 - - ICE CAVE, TASMAN GLACIER ” 52 - - MOUNT DE LA BÊCHE (10,021 FEET) FROM THE TASMAN GLACIER ” 54 - - PEAKS ON MALTE BRUN ” 58 - - THE TASMAN GLACIER ” 66 - - MOUNTAIN LILIES (_Ranunculus Lyallii_) ” 86 - - LOOKING ACROSS THE MURCHISON GLACIER ” 90 - - AORANGI FROM THE TASMAN GLACIER ” 90 - - THE MURCHISON GLACIER ” 92 - - AORANGI: THE HIGHEST PEAK ” 100 - - IN THE ICE-FALL OF THE ONSLOW GLACIER ” 120 - - THE SURFACE OF A GLACIER ” 128 - - MAP _At end_ - - - - -CHAPTER I - -INTRODUCTORY - -_The New Zealand Alps and their glaciers_ - - -It is unnecessary for me in these days of universal education and -enlightenment to describe the geographical position of New Zealand, the -‘Britain of the South,’ and the future playground of Australasia. - -Everyone knows that New Zealand consists of three islands, situate -between the 34th and 47th degrees of south latitude, off the south-east -coast of Australia. Reference to almost any handbook of the colony will -furnish every information regarding settlement, population, government, -climate, and so on, and I do not propose to dwell longer than is -necessary on any general matters of this nature. - -It is advisable, however, to describe in as brief and concise a manner -as possible the general physical features of a country containing such -varieties of scenery and climate, more especially those of the South -Island (or Middle Island as it is sometimes called), where the High -Alps and their wonderful glaciers are situated. - -Speaking generally, the highest mountains of New Zealand may be said to -run in a north-easterly direction from the southernmost point of the -South Island through the whole country, like a vast backbone, to the -north-eastern point of the North Island. - -The main formation of the mountains dates back to Jurassic times, so -that the geological structure may be said to be one of great antiquity. - -Volcanic action has long since ceased throughout the South Island; -but there are many active volcanoes in the North, where a perfect -wonderland of hot-springs, solfataras, and silica terraces exists. - -As a whole, the country is heavily timbered—more thickly on the -western parts, where the greater rainfall occurs. This is notably the -case in the South Island, where the hot and moisture laden winds from -tropical regions are deprived by the Alpine chain of their aqueous -vapour. - -The Southern Alps proper may be said to extend over a distance of about -one hundred miles of the middle part of the South Island, the chain -being situated closer to the western than the eastern ocean. The slopes -on the western side are the more precipitous, and are clothed with -heavy timber and intersected by innumerable mountain torrents, fed in -most cases by glaciers, some of which descend to within 600 feet of -sea-level. - -Ranges of outlying foot-hills occur on the eastern side, snow-covered -in winter, amongst which many large glacier-fed rivers have cut their -way, and meander over the plains (probably of entirely fluviatile -formation) which slope gradually from the outer bases of the foot-hills -to the eastern ocean. - -The peaks of the Alps range in height from 7,000 to 12,350 feet above -sea-level, the majority of those over 10,000 feet being contiguous to -the culminating point in altitude—Aorangi—more popularly known as -Mount Cook. Here also are found the largest glaciers. - -The snow-line is a low one when compared with that of Alpine countries -in the northern hemisphere and in relative latitudes. It would be -difficult to compute its average altitude, but in parts where large -glaciers and snow-fields exist it is even as low as 5,000 feet above -sea-level. - -By comparison with Switzerland, for instance, it may safely be said -that the snow-line in New Zealand is from 2,000 to 3,000 feet lower; -consequently we have the same Alpine conditions at a much lower level. -Owing to this interesting fact, we find that the New Zealand glaciers -attain far greater dimensions than those of Switzerland, although the -peaks do not rise to such a height above sea-level. - -In themselves, I believe the mountains compare favourably as to size -or actual height above the valleys below them; Aorangi, for instance, -rising for nearly 10,000 feet from the Hooker Glacier, and Mount Sefton -8,500 feet from the Mueller Glacier, whilst the western precipices of -Mount Tasman (11,475 feet) are stupendous. - -The enormous length attained in remote times by the New Zealand -glaciers is evident on all hands at the lower parts of the valleys, -the heads of which they now occupy; whilst the formation of nearly all -the lakes in the South Island can be traced to the action of ice and -the deposition of terminal moraines, prior to a period of retreat of -the ice. - -There is an interesting feature in the glaciers of this country -peculiar to them; I refer to the deposition of singularly extensive -moraines. The lower parts of the large glaciers on the eastern slopes -are, in nearly every instance, completely covered with accumulated -_débris_ derived from the moraines. This is variously accounted for by -the antiquity of the mountain chain, the slow rate of motion in the -ice, and great denudation from rocks which are much jointed and offer -but little resistance to the splitting powers of freezing infiltrated -water. - -The western glaciers I am not personally acquainted with, but I -understand that they do not carry anything like the amount of moraine, -and I imagine the cause of the disparity will be found in a faster -motion of the ice, and (a yet more potent factor) in the dip of the -strata of the rocks, which is from east to west, the broken faces being -eastward and the slab-like faces westward. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE ROUTE TO THE MOUNT COOK DISTRICT - - _A short description of the route to the Mount Cook district, and of - the topographical features of the Mueller, Hooker, and Tasman Valleys_ - - -From Timaru on the east coast the traveller may comfortably reach the -glaciers of Aorangi in a two days’ journey. - -Leaving Timaru by an evening train, Fairlie Creek (the present terminus -of the railway line) is reached, where the night is spent. Two days’ -coaching then are required to cross over Burke’s Pass into the great -Mackenzie plains, across this great ancient glacier bed, past Lakes -Tekapo and Pukaki, over the rivers of the same names, and up the valley -of the Tasman River to a comfortable hostelry called ‘The Hermitage,’ -nestling right under the shadow of that wonderful pile of ice-clad -mountain glory, Mount Sefton. - -Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki may both be aptly compared in one way to the -Lake of Geneva, in that they are of glacier origin, and purify the -rivers which now flow from the present glaciers, parting with their -waters again through channels cut in the ancient terminal moraines -which dam their respective southern shores. - -They are both beautiful, each in its own way—Tekapo sunny, peaceful, -and calm; Pukaki awe-inspiring and grand—but they lack the charm of -chalet and pine tree, of vine and meadow, which so adorn the shores of -the Swiss lakes. - -The immediate vicinity of the road is uninteresting, except from a -geological point of view, for it winds about amongst old moraines, -whose vegetation consists almost entirely of the brown tussock grass so -general in the South Island. - -Yet the geologist or student of glacier phenomena can read on the -surface the history of the formation; _roches moutonnées_ abound, -and, in places, old moraines are spread over the bed rock for miles -together, whilst erratic blocks are dotted about in various directions, -evidencing how extensive has been the action of the ice in ages gone by. - -Though the scenes contiguous to the road may fail to charm the eye, the -distant panoramas of the glorious Southern Alps cannot fail to draw -forth expressions of wonder from the most callous observer. As the -Hermitage is approached, and the great peaks and glaciers draw closer -and closer, the marvellous grandeur of the chain is gradually realised. - -The sight of the reflection of Aorangi in Lake Tekapo, on a calm -morning, is something to remember for a lifetime. The subject has long -been a favourite one for brush and pen, but no one yet has done it -justice. - -A substantial bridge spans the exit of the Tekapo River, but only a -ferry stage exists at the Pukaki River where it leaves the lake. A wire -rope, 450 feet long, is thrown across the stream, to which the ferry -stage floating on two punts is attached by runners. The coach and four -is driven bodily on to the stage, and by the aid of a rudder the punts -are slued so as to point across the stream diagonally. The force of the -water rushing obliquely on to the sides of the punts drives the whole -affair across in a space of about three or four minutes. This ingenious -plan is commonly adopted in the New Zealand rivers. - -During the months of winter it is possible to reach the Hermitage -direct from Tekapo, and thus avoid striking south to go round Lake -Pukaki, by crossing the Tasman River. During summer, however, as a -rule, this river is impassable, for it rises so fast during warm and -nor’-west weather from rain and melting snow that sometimes the whole -bed of the river—two miles wide—is a network of rushing yellow -torrents quite unfordable by man or beast. - -Readers of the Rev. W. S. Green’s ‘High Alps of New Zealand’ will -recollect that his conveyance found a last resting-place in the -quicksands of the Tasman. Von Lendenfeld also, the year after Mr. -Green, experienced an unhappy week’s delay on the eastern bank of the -river. I have myself narrowly escaped drowning at the same point, and -in years gone by the Tasman River has been accountable for more than -one life. - -The river in full flood is a sight to see; the water in places runs -fifteen knots an hour, or even more. In the rapids it is piled up in -the middle from sudden contraction of the banks, and forms crested -billows four or five feet in height, whilst now and then a block of ice -from the glacier may be seen bowling along. - -The ancient glacier-formed terraces of the Tasman Valley are -instructive and interesting. The highest of them are distinctly marked -all down the valley for a distance of forty miles from Sebastopol—a -large face of ice-worn rock near the Hermitage—on the eastern slopes -of the Ben Ohau Range. The story of the ancient glacier can be read as -the eye follows these strange terraces from their starting point 2,000 -feet above the valley bed, down a gentle declination to the terminus of -the Ben Ohau Range. - -Before going into the narrative of my five seasons’ climbing amongst -the peaks and glaciers around Aorangi, it would be as well for me to -describe, as concisely as possible, the general topography of the -Mueller, Hooker, and Tasman Glaciers. - -We will suppose ourselves in the main Tasman Valley, into which all -these glaciers drain, close to the point where the valley first -branches. As we look northward, Aorangi and the range running southward -for twelve miles from the main body of the mountain bound the view, -and divide the valley into two branches. Let us take the one to the -north-west first. Proceeding up this valley of the Hooker for a few -miles, we arrive at a branch valley from the left or west—the Mueller -Valley—completely occupied by the glacier of the same name. Close to -the Mueller Glacier is situated the Hermitage, presided over by Mr. F. -F. C. Huddleston, a true haven of refuge and comfort for the wearied -tourist or mountaineer. - -[Illustration: HOOKER VALLEY AND MOUNT SEFTON FROM GOVERNOR’S CAMP - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -We step on to the Mueller Glacier, here completely covered by moraine, -and, turning westwards, strike up its course. On our right, 8,500 -feet above us, clad in ice and snow and glittering in the sunlight, -rises the glorious mass of Mount Sefton, showering down avalanches -upon the glacier. On our left the shingle slips from the rotten and -crumbling crags of the Sealy Range. It is possible for tourists who are -good walkers to reach the head of this glacier, which is seven and a -half miles long and about one mile broad, in one day. The moraine gives -way to the clear ice some three miles or so from the terminal face. Now -we return and make a fresh start up the Hooker Valley due northwards -from the Hermitage. - -Crossing the Mueller Glacier we walk through a perfect garden of -lilies (_ranunculus Lyallii_), celmisias, ‘Spaniards,’ and an endless -variety of sub-alpine plants, for a distance of about one mile from -the northern side of the Mueller Glacier, when we come to the terminal -moraine-covered face of the Hooker Glacier. - -On our right rises up the bold and verdure clad snow-topped Mount Cook -Range, Mount Wakefield (6,561 feet), Mount Mabel (6,868 feet), Mount -Rosa (6,987 feet), and a nameless peak (7,540 feet) being the principal -points of interest. On our left is the northern continuation of the -ridge of Mount Sefton, known as the Moorhouse Range, part of the main -chain of the Southern Alps. Several secondary glaciers descend from the -slopes, but do not reach the bed of the valley below, which is filled -from side to side with the Hooker Glacier. - -Proceeding up the surface of the glacier we get on to the clear ice, -and now on either bank the mountains rise to a great height. On the -right Aorangi suddenly rears itself, from a point known as the Ball -Saddle (7,500 feet), to 12,349 feet in one stupendous rocky ridge, -upon which the ice hangs wherever it can get any hold. This ridge is -known to climbers as the Great Southern _arête_, and has been found, -first by Mr. Green and secondly by myself, to be inaccessible. Right -ahead of us pour down from the highest crags the Mona, Noeline, and -Empress Glaciers, to join the Hooker, alternating with very precipitous -rocky ridges which present every appearance of being quite unscalable. - -Several attempts have been made by surveyors and others to reach the -saddle at the head of the Hooker, but it was only in December 1890 that -the efforts of two climbers (Mr. A. P. Harper and Mr. R. Blakiston) -were rewarded. The expedition can only be attempted with any chance of -success in the early part of the season, when the numberless crevasses -are yet covered with the winter snow. - -From the Hooker Glacier we turn our faces downwards to the south again, -and pay a visit to the north-eastern branch of the main Tasman Valley. - -Crossing the Hooker River at the terminal point of the Mount Cook -Range, where a cage swung on a wire rope over the river now facilitates -the traveller’s passage, we strike north-eastwards up the valley. - -For a distance of four miles our way leads over the shingle and boulder -flats of the Tasman river-bed, here some two miles wide. Patches of -good sheep-feed consisting of tussock and cocksfoot grass (the latter -sown by an early settler) occur on the western side of the valley, but -the river as a rule washes the opposite slopes. - -[Illustration: AORANGI: MOUNT COOK AND THE HOOKER GLACIER. - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -Arriving at the terminal face of the glacier we strike up a small -valley between the western lateral slopes of the moraine of the -glacier and the Mount Cook Range on our left, and for a distance of -about seven or eight miles force our way through dense scrub and loose -boulders from the moraine and mountain slopes, to the junction of the -Ball Glacier with the Tasman. This Ball Glacier comes from the Great -Southern _arête_ of Aorangi, and is fed almost entirely by avalanches, -there being no snow-fields—or _névés_ as they are called in Alpine -parlance—of any great extent at its head. - -From this point upwards we strike out on to the ice on our right, -and another seven miles or so brings us to a further division of -the valley, Mount de la Bêche being the dividing peak. The glacier -of the left-hand or northern branch is known as the Rudolf Glacier, -whilst the main body of the Tasman stretches some six miles further -north-eastwards to the Hochstetter Dome, where it again divides. The -saddle at the head of the left-hand branch, again, has been reached -by Dr. von Lendenfeld and by myself in our respective ascents of the -Hochstetter Dome, and commands a superb view of the Whymper Glacier and -valley, and of the Wataroa River on the west coast. The head of the -branch to the right of the Hochstetter Dome has not yet been reached by -man. - -Taking a retrospective glance again at the peaks on either hand, and -commencing at the lower end of the glacier, we have first on our right -the Liebig Range till opposite the Ball Glacier, when the _embouchure_ -of the Murchison Valley occurs, followed by the Malte Brun Range, with -the main peak—the Matterhorn of New Zealand—opposite to Mount de la -Bêche, then the Darwin Glacier followed by the mountain of the same -name, and then the saddle between Mount Darwin and the Hochstetter Dome. - -Now, again, on the left or western side of the great glacier we have -the Mount Cook Range for ten miles, the Ball Glacier, Aorangi, the -Hochstetter Glacier, Mounts Tasman, Haast, Haidinger, Glacier Peak, -Mounts Spencer, Kant, Rudolf (at the head of the Rudolf Glacier), De la -Bêche, Green, and Elie de Beaumont, the last followed by the Lendenfeld -Saddle, to which I have already referred. - -From Mount Tasman northwards to this saddle all these mountains are -situated in the main chain. Aorangi itself, though popularly believed -to belong to the main divide, is in reality separated from it by a -rocky ridge and a saddle of about 10,500 feet, which leads to the -Hooker Glacier on the one hand and the Linda on the other, both being -east of the main divide. Aorangi itself, therefore, consists of a -divergent ridge, the whole of whose drainage goes eastward. - -Though for some years I have believed this to be the case, it is only -quite recently that I have been able to substantiate the belief by -ocular demonstration, when the ascent of the mountain was accomplished -by Mr. Dixon and myself. To this expedition I shall refer later on. - -The reader must picture to himself the great Tasman Glacier, nearly two -miles in width and eighteen to twenty in length, occupying the whole -of the bed of the valley, and fed on both sides by numerous tributary -ice streams from the mountains. - -Of the Murchison Valley it is not necessary for me to speak just now, -as the topographical features will be described when I come to tell the -story of its exploration. Neither is it needful to refer in further -detail to the Tasman for the same reason. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -FIRST ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - -_First impressions—Swagging—The Hochstetter Glacier—Defeat—The -perils of river crossing_ - -‘To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.’ - - -It was on March 24, 1886, that I left Christchurch, in company with my -cousin, Mr. C. D. Fox, on my first visit to the great Tasman Glacier -and Mount Cook, or Aorangi.[1] - -[Footnote 1: The Maori name of Mount Cook is ‘Aorangi,’ or, more -properly, ‘Ao-Rangi.’ The commonly accepted meaning of the term is -‘Sky-piercer’ but as the Maori language admits of many varieties of -translation, each version hovering about the region of true meaning, -it is only natural that authorities should differ as to the correct -construing of the word. - -One good Maori scholar, whose reputation as such is almost pre-eminent, -gives the poetical translation of ‘Light of Day’—a singularly -beautiful one, for it is the first peak to catch the morning light and -the last to show the glow of evening. - -Another very well-known Maori scholar, the Rev. J. W. Stack, assures -me that the most reasonable interpretation that can be put upon the -word ‘Ao-Rangi’ is ‘Scud Peak’; and this is a singularly apt one, -for the prevailing nor’-west winds always cause condensation and the -gathering of cloud-banners about the higher parts of the mountain. -‘Heaven-piercer’ and ‘Cloud-piercer’ are also often used, but are to a -certain extent fancy names.] - -I often look back now with feelings of amusement at the audacity with -which we determined to make our first attempt to scale the great -monarch of the Southern Alps, and wonder how we could have been so -self-satisfied with our own powers and confident of our ability in -undertaking such a gigantic task. I can only suppose that it was -ignorance of what lay before us, and a clear case of ‘fools rush in -where angels fear to tread’; for when my thoughts run back over the -toils, hardships, and bitter lessons of experience undergone during -the past six years, and when I think of the position of two completely -inexperienced men (as far as _true_ Alpine work is concerned) launching -straight out into such an undertaking, my heart seems to quail at the -idea. It is true that we both had heard and read of much Alpine work, -and had been for some time in touch with climbing-men, also we were -both practised in hill-walking and accustomed to such work as mustering -sheep, pig-hunting, and shooting over what in England would be termed -rough mountains, so that as cragsmen we could scarcely be classed as -novices. As to any knowledge other than theoretical of the conditions -of snow and ice, however, we might be termed tyros, though Fox had -done a little scrambling on the Swiss glaciers. Nevertheless, we had -sufficient ‘cheek’ to consider ourselves wise and strong enough to go -straight into a really difficult piece of Alpine work, and, laughing at -all discouragement, we set off for the mountains. - -I have already described the customary route to the glaciers of Mount -Cook, so will not weary my readers with a long narrative of the journey. - -At Timaru (four hours by rail from Christchurch) we completed our stock -of provisions, consisting of biscuits, tinned meats, &c., and took the -evening train on to Fairlie Creek (forty miles further inland), where -on arrival we hired a horse and buggy and drove to Ashwick Station, -seven miles distant on the road to the mountains. - -The next day’s journey took us over Burke’s Pass and into the Mackenzie -country, past the beautiful Lake Tekapo, and on to the ferry situate at -the southern end of Lake Pukaki. - -The road itself winds through bleak tussock plains, interesting only -from a geological point of view; but all monotony of the immediate -surroundings is completely lost when one looks further afield and gazes -on the marvellous beauty of such scenes as the Southern Alps from Lake -Tekapo, or the Ben Ohau Range from the plains. Even the most fastidious -globe-trotter could not fail to be deeply impressed with such a picture -as Aorangi from Lake Pukaki. - -To look at Aorangi from this approach is enough to damp the spirit of -the stoutest Alpine climber that ever breathed, and is quite sufficient -to account for the disbelief and incredulity cherished in the mind of -many a shepherd in the Mackenzie country regarding the possibility of -ascending the peak. - -History repeats itself, and just as we hear of the native mountaineers -of the Himalayas, Andes, and Caucasus discrediting ascents of glacier -peaks around whose very bases they and their ancestors have lived and -died, so we find that our own countrymen, whose calling needs their -constant presence amongst their flocks on the lower ranges, refuse to -believe that mountains presenting such an appearance as Aorangi are in -any manner of way to be scaled. - -The following day brought us to the Hermitage. A low mist had hidden -the higher peaks throughout the day, and led to a surprise on the -following morning which I little dreamt of. - -I wonder if all Alpine climbers, in first ‘tasting the sweets of -climbing,’ are similarly impressed with their initial Alpine view! - -No words of mine can describe the ecstasy which seemed to pervade my -whole being as on the early, cloudless morning the wonderful picture -of Mount Sefton reared itself in indescribable sunlit grandeur above -the old bush-clad moraine close by the Hermitage. Here, indeed, was a -new and a fairy-like world to live in. As we sat in the verandah of the -Hermitage the ice-seamed crags appeared to rise up and up until they -culminated in a long serrated and corniced ridge, seeming almost to -overhang the very spot where we rested. - -A scene of mountain glory never to be forgotten, a memory to last a -lifetime! - -More than 8,000 feet above us were built up those ice-clad precipices, -their glaciers glinting in the bright morning light, their avalanches -tearing down the mountain sides and waking the echoes of a hundred -ravines and valleys with their thunder. - -Where is the man who can describe these - - palaces of Nature, whose vast walls - Have pinnacled in clouds their snowy scalps? - -Where is the mountaineer—not the mere gymnast, but the Nature-loving -mountaineer—who can tell the feelings of such a first impression? - -And yet even this scene seems to fade in the memory and suffer by -contrast with those of other pictures in the New Zealand Alps, for up -the Tasman Valley, where later on in the day we wended our way, fresh -vistas of Alpine glory were unfolded to view. - -Aorangi from the Hermitage is also a grand sight. The mountain seems -to possess a startling individuality and a majestic grandeur somewhat -different in character from its worthy neighbour Mount Sefton. The view -is more distant, but the bold outline of the peak stands out in relief -against the blue of the heavens, and rears a face of glacier-clad -precipices to a height of 10,000 feet above the Hooker Valley at the -mountain foot. Light clouds float about the peak and lend an ethereal -air to its beauty, imparting a fairy-like, floating appearance to the -peak itself. At other times the outlines are apparently clear cut -against the sky, giving an air of lasting and monumental dignity, and -conveying the idea of stability from past ages to ages to come. - -After an early lunch, and accompanied by Mr. Huddleston (the landlord -of the Hermitage), and one of his men, we started off for the Tasman -Glacier. The first part of the way leads down over stony flats to the -termination of the Mount Cook Range, and at this point the Hooker River -is crossed. - -On this occasion we double-banked over on horse-back without much -difficulty; but very often the Hooker River is quite impassable with -horses, the torrent being confined in a narrow boulder bed of about 200 -feet in width, which in flood time, during the warmer months of spring -and summer, is quite filled with a roaring torrent, often bearing down -with it blocks of ice from the Mueller and Hooker Glaciers above. - -Turning in a north-easterly direction round the end of the range we -shaped our course up the Tasman Valley, and in two hours’ time from -the Hermitage arrived at the terminal face of the great glacier, which -fills the whole of the valley from side to side, a width of about two -miles. Here, then, the hard work was about to begin, for the horses -could not proceed further, and it was necessary to carry everything -from this point on our own backs. - -Ah! good reader, have you ever carried a swag, a _real_ swag—not a -Swiss knapsack—but a real, torturing, colonial swag? When you take it -up and sling it on your back in the orthodox fashion you remark: ‘Yes; -I think it _does_ weigh fifty pounds.’ In ten minutes your estimate of -its weight has doubled. In an hour you begin to wonder why Nature has -been so foolish as to make men who will carry swags; bad language seems -to slip out ‘quite in a casual way,’ and you begin to bend forward and -do the ‘lift.’ But the ‘lift’ does not seem to fulfil quite all that -is said in its praise, for soon the torturing burden settles down again -and drags on to your shoulders more heavily than ever. After a bit -of nice balancing over loose moraine the swag triumphs. Down you go, -and the wretched thing worries you, whilst you bark your fingers and -swear horribly, bruising your knees and shins, and cursing the day on -which you saw the light of a hard and feelingless world. You recover -and repeat the performance as before, and by the time your day’s work -is done you find out to your own demonstrated satisfaction that the -burden _weighs at least five hundred-weight_. You sling it off and give -it a malicious kick, with the result that you break a thermometer or -some such delicate instrument. Then you try to walk, but stagger about -like a drunken man; there is no small to your back, your back tendons -are puffy and tired like those of an old horse, your head swims, and -your eye is dim. Patience and rest, however, gradually bring you round, -and soon you regain strength and spirits in feeling that at least you -have conquered a day’s difficulties and have brought your board and -lodging so far with you. - -Ah! think of it, you knapsack mountaineers, you feather-bed Swiss -mountaineers, with your tracks, your hotels, your guides, your porters, -and your huts. No; this New Zealand work is not like yours. - -But then, you see, we are enjoying what you cannot get. Exploring -and opening out virgin fields, learning to be our own guides—and -porters—from that best of masters—hard experience. - -We struck up the little valley which here exists between the lateral -moraine on our right and the hill on our left, and toiled on amidst -dense scrub so gnarled and matted that we could at times walk on it -as on a spring bed, though now and then going through, of course. The -scrub alternated with slopes of loose strips of moraine. By evening -we reached a little blue lake which feeds the creek issuing from the -valley’s mouth, and here we pitched our tent for the night. - -The sub-Alpine vegetation here is interesting and varied. Wild Irishman -(_te matakuru_ of the natives or _matagowrie_ of the shepherds), -Spaniards, with leaves like carving-knives and points like needles, -having stalks sometimes eight or ten feet high; stunted totara, many -varieties of veronica, celmisias with large marguerite daisy-like -flowers, the beautiful white ranunculus, and a hundred bushes and -creepers all mixed up in the most glorious confusion amid rocks -sometimes covered with slippery moss, over and amongst which it is -anything but pleasant to force one’s way. The mountain sides are -clothed almost up to the snow-line with beech, totara, ribbon-wood, -veronica, and other trees, the rich foliage being beautifully -varied; but not having sufficient time to cut bedding, we spent an -uncomfortable night. The first evening is always the worst in camp. -In the morning we continued our rough journey up the valley and our -struggle with the ‘worrying’ swag. - -Soon we discovered traces of fires and old camps, and we knew we were -on the tracks of Green’s and Von Lendenfeld’s parties. An hour for -dinner under a splendid waterfall, and more toiling onwards, till at -last we were over the last boulder-face from the mountain on our left, -with the Ball Glacier in full view. Fox, bending down, picked up a -portion of an old veil, shortly after I found a goggle box, then came a -tomahawk lying on a rock, then the historical tent poles of Mr. Green, -and we knew we had reached ‘Green’s fifth camp.’ - -Off came the swags, and right glad we were to be done with them. If a -man were only built on the same lines as a Mount Cook grasshopper he -might ‘stand some show’ in those parts, for these insects are the most -accomplished rock acrobats, jumping twenty or thirty times their own -length at a spring, landing on their heads or anyhow with a bang, and -squaring up for the next jump as coolly as cucumbers. - -We found many relics of Green’s and of Von Lendenfeld’s parties, -amongst them a surveyor’s chain, which, with Green’s tent poles, we -have for the last five seasons used to pitch our tents. - -Scarcely were we made snug for the night when down came a terrific -nor’-wester, blowing with fearful violence, making the tent boom -and shake till we expected it to blow to ribbons. Rain poured down, -thunder, lightning, and avalanches all lent their aid, and the elements -seemed to be having a generally rowdy time of it. All this, of course, -meant snow on the higher peaks; our spirits fell to zero very quickly, -and we gave up all hope of tackling Aorangi for at least a day or two. - -The nor’-wester is the _Föhn_ wind of New Zealand, similar in character -to the _Föhn_ winds of Switzerland or the _Pampiero_ of the Andes. Warm -air laden with moisture travels from the equatorial and Australian -waters, till, striking the range of the Southern Alps, precipitation -ensues, the wind descending on to the eastern plains dry and hot. - -Having studied Von Lendenfeld’s map of the Tasman Glacier and its -surrounding peaks made in 1883 we knew our whereabouts; but as yet we -had not seen the peak of Mount Cook, having been toiling up close under -the eastern flank of the range, which continues from the peak proper -for a distance of ten or twelve miles in a south-easterly direction. - -The morning broke beautifully clear, and we were early aroused by some -inquisitive keas, or mountain parrots, which perched on the tent and -set up an unearthly screeching. These birds are ridiculously amusing -and tame, and we frequently replenished our larder with them by the aid -of a shanghai, or common schoolboy’s catapult, with which instrument of -warfare I have the rather questionable credit of being somewhat of an -adept. When I think of the savoury fries and stews which the shanghai -has brought to our camp table—the table being usually a rock or a -large lily leaf—I begin to be reconciled to the haunting regrets for -apple-destroying and window-smashing which so often beguiled the tedium -of a scholastic career. - -We determined not to attempt any climbing so soon after the storm, but -set out to reconnoitre the route taken by Mr. Green. - -Mounting the steep lateral moraine of the Ball Glacier we were soon -across it and on to the clear ice of the Hochstetter stream beyond, and -felt the joyful crunching of our well-nailed boots as we tramped along -over the uneven surface. - -There is something exhilarating in this setting foot on the clear -ice after days of clambering over cruel rocks, something that seems -to thrill one as the nails go ‘crunch, crunch’ and give such grand -foothold, a cheerful ring in the clink of the ice-axes, a peculiar -charm in the tinkle of the little surface streams, a sense of peace -and loveliness in all around, an inspiration of awe and grandeur -in the glorious masses of mountains which rear their hoary heads -for thousands of feet above, whilst over all there seems to hang an -invisible and imperious over-ruling and omnipotent Power directing the -marvellous workings of Nature. Here man may feel his littleness and -his unworthiness, and yet with Byron he feels what is so beautifully -expressed in ‘Childe Harold’— - - I live not in myself, but I become - Portion of that around me; and to me - High mountains are a feeling. - -The Hochstetter Glacier is one of the most impressive and beautiful -sights in the Southern Alps. Its supplies come even from the very -summits of Aorangi and Mount Tasman, the two noblest mountains in -Australasia. Avalanches from the eastern and northern slopes of Aorangi -descend to a large ice plateau situate at an altitude of 8,000 feet. -From between the great north-eastern spur of Aorangi and the southern -slopes of Mount Tasman the Linda Glacier issues also into this plateau; -it was discovered and named by Mr. Green. From the eastern slopes of -Mount Tasman and the southern flanks of Mount Haast avalanches also -descend to the plateau, which must be some ten or twelve square miles -in area. This plateau has but one outlet—the fall of the Hochstetter -Glacier. Viewed from below, the frozen cascade tumbles in the wildest -confusion over a precipice of 4,000 feet to join the Tasman Glacier -at an altitude of 4,000 feet (roughly speaking), and presents a most -wonderful appearance. The fall at the top is probably about a mile and -a half in width, narrowing to one mile at its foot, and the ice is -broken up into _séracs_, cubes, pinnacles, and towers of all shapes and -sizes, intersected by crevasses of the divinest bluish-green colour, -and each pinnacle crested with a white cap of unconsolidated snow. -One enormous rock protrudes through the ice in its southern and lower -portion, crowned with toppling _séracs_ 200 or 300 feet in height, -which at regular intervals fall over the face of the rock and descend -in magnificent avalanches. First comes a report like a pistol shot, -then follows an almighty crash accompanied by clouds of snow and ice -dust, succeeded by a low rumbling thunder as the blocks expend their -impetus on the gentler slope below, and finally settle down again into -solid ice, to continue their journey of centuries towards the terminal -face of the glacier nine miles down the valley. Above the fall stand -out, in bold relief against the clear sky, the giant forms of Aorangi -and Tasman. - -To stand before this wonderful piece of Nature’s work and gaze on the -weird and fascinating forms of the attendant peaks is an experience not -to be forgotten. - -The awful and solemn silence of the mountains, broken only now and -again by the crash and thunder of an ice avalanche or the screech of a -solitary kea, the complete desolation, the loneliness and remoteness -from the haunts of men, all tend to inspire one with deep thoughts and -feelings. One line in Walter C. Smith’s ‘Hilda’ expresses more than -pages of mine would do— - - The silence of the mountains spoke unutterable things. - -In two hours’ time we were across the glacier and on the point of the -ridge descending from Mount Haast, which bounds the northern side of -the ice-fall. We began the ascent of the ridge amongst snow-grass and -lilies, but soon the vegetation gave way to rockwork, and when a -height of about 5,000 feet was attained we made sure that this was our -correct route, and, mist coming on, we descended again, and reached our -Ball Glacier camp in the evening. - -We resolved to make our attempt on the peak early the following -morning, and accordingly, at 5 A.M. packed our swags, containing -‘tucker’ for three days, spirit lamp, blanket, opossum rug, -mackintoshes, instruments, a change of warm clothing, &c., intending -that night to find a bivouac at 8,000 feet if possible. - -Starting at 5.20 A.M. we crossed the Ball Glacier in the very dim -light of a waning moon, and were on the Hochstetter ice at peep of day, -and making good time across, reached the point of the Haast spur in an -hour and three-quarters. A thick mist hung over us, and we waited for -an hour for it to lift, amusing ourselves by smoking and botanising, -and watching the antics of some queer little wrens. These birds are -absurd-looking little creatures with long legs and longer toes, plump -buff-coloured breasts, no tails, staring little eyes, and look for -all the world like boiled potatoes with their jackets on, set up on -hairpins and let loose on the rocks. - -As the mist cleared we tackled the ascent, and found it pretty stiff -work, although we had snow-grass to assist us for some way up; but the -rocks above this began to show signs of rottenness, and much care was -required to avoid dislodging them. We made good progress to about 5,000 -feet, when we were quite baffled for a time, and were forced to leave -the main _arête_ and look for a more promising route on our right. -Here we proceeded cautiously, crawling through a narrow niche in some -overhanging rocks with a precipice of some hundreds of feet below. -Then the climbing improved till our view upwards was bounded by an -indefinite saddle in the rocks, which might have led to anywhere, but -which did lead, as we subsequently found out, to the easy snow slopes -above. - -As the day advanced small falls of stone occurred, which caused some -annoyance and danger, but we managed to avoid being struck by any. Then -followed another stretch of rotten rock which Fox absolutely declined -to tackle, and as it could not be turned by a détour we were brought up -on this route. - -Fox suggested descending again to cross a large glacier coming down -from the ridge on our right, and trying the rocks on its opposite side. -This plan we eventually carried out, but it was a fatal mistake as far -as climbing Aorangi was concerned. Descending for about 1,000 feet we -stepped on to the ice of what we then thought was the lower part of the -Linda Glacier—owing to a strange error in Von Lendenfeld’s map—but -which in reality was the Freshfield Glacier. We put on the rope and our -goggles, both indispensable in crossing such a snow-covered ice stream. - -On taking to the rocks on the other side we soon gained the lowest ice -slopes, covered with six or eight inches of snow in splendid order, -and adhering well to the ice; now and then we took to the rocks, but -climbed mostly by the snow slopes till we reached the crest of the -ridge and looked over a precipice to Mount Haidinger and the Haast -Glacier below. - -It was now 11 A.M., and after a short rest, upon my suggesting a -move upwards, Fox said that he did not fancy the rocks above—which -certainly did look bad—and counselled a retreat. Of course I was -disappointed, and reluctant to give up the attempt so soon, yet there -did seem to be no end to the difficulties above, and experience has -since taught me that Fox was wise in his counsel, for it was indeed -simple madness for two greenhorns to tackle such work. - -I soon forgot my troubles in gazing on the scene which burst upon us -as we gained the ridge. Below lay the major part of the Haast Glacier, -descending in a similar manner to the Hochstetter ice-fall from the -corniced _arête_ of Mount Haidinger, a marvellous mass of _sérac_ ice. -A long rest here, and a resolve to revisit the locality during the next -season with a stronger party, and we began the descent. - -My first experience of glissading on the snow slopes below was -decidedly amusing; but the art is easily acquired, and after the -inevitable spill or two one soon gets into the way of putting one’s axe -directly behind and not at the side, as is the first impulse. Many and -many a good slide have I enjoyed during the last six years, and I know -no more exhilarating sensation. - -[Illustration: MOUNT TASMAN (11,475 FEET) AND THE HOCHSTETTER ICE-FALL - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -In winter time, on the front ranges, we have sometimes made glissades -of 2,000 to 3,000 feet without a stop, and on one occasion, in crossing -the Mount Cook Range, Mr. Arthur Harper and I glissaded close on to -4,000 feet with only occasional stoppages for crevasses. - -Reaching the bottom of the slopes we made an examination of the Haast -Glacier at its junction with the Tasman, which disclosed a terribly -crevassed stream, the ice appearing like the leaves of a half-opened -book, the alternating crevasses occupying by far the greater space. -There ensued an aggravating scramble over the moraine, followed by a -weary trudge across the ice of the Hochstetter, and we reached our camp -at the Ball Glacier by nightfall. - -Sleep visited our wearied eyelids that night and had never seemed so -sweet, but the morning broke raining and stormy, and as it was from the -nor’-west and looked like continuing, we determined to make homewards -for the Hermitage at once. - -Then ensued the awful scramble down between the moraine and the -mountain side with those terrible swags, but, being by this time in -good trim, we arrived at the terminal face of the glacier in four hours -and a quarter, a distance which occupied Mr. Green with Emil Boss and -Ulrich Kaufmann thirteen hours in coming down in their final retreat. - -On reaching the Hooker, we found the river running strongly and rising -fast with the nor’-west rain, but after some looking about discovered -a possible ford where the river anastomosed into four branches, and -steadying ourselves with our ice-axes, waded through the torrent. Cold! -Cold was no word for it, and the force of the current was terrible as -it rushed over an uneven and treacherous bed of boulders. - -But we got through safely, and soon the Hermitage, our haven of refuge, -was in sight, and we struck up the shingle flats at a merry pace, -reaching our destination in seven hours and a quarter from the Ball -Glacier camp. - -On returning from the Hermitage we thought, by crossing the Tasman -River and driving down the opposite bank, to avoid driving round Lake -Pukaki, and so to save thirty miles of travelling. As a rule the river -is not crossable in the summer months, but on this occasion we were -assured of the practicability of getting over; and leaving the track -at Birch Hill Station, we drove out into the great expanse of shingle -which forms the river-bed. - -We had crossed all the streams but the last, and were within a few -yards of the further bank of that, when our horse, poor old Nipper, -sank in a quicksand, and as soon as the current caught his body we saw -it was all up. The horse and buggy got broadside on to the current, and -quick as thought we jumped for it, just as the conveyance was turning -over for the first time, Fox down-stream and I up. - -The first thing I knew was that I was being washed into the bottom -parts of the buggy, then sideways up, but struggling out and gaining a -footing, the first impulse was to whip out my pocket-knife and cut the -horse free, and, in my haste, both blades were broken before a stitch -of the harness was cut. Fox, in the meanwhile, recovered his feet, -and was holding Nipper’s head above water as we all moved gradually -down-stream with the force of the current, the horse and buggy rolling -over and over. With Fox’s knife I was more successful, and cut the -horse free. Fortunately we were being washed into shallower water -on a spit of shingle, and we were able to wade out with the horse, -after which we returned to extricate the buggy, which had come to -a standstill on its side, and was fast being silted up with moving -shingle. It required all our strength to free it, and in doing so one -of the wheels ‘buckled.’ - -I have no doubt that we presented an amusing and half-drowned -appearance as we stood on the bank and called the roll. All that was -missing was my mackintosh, a mat, and whip. - -Then we jumped on our buckled wheel till it sprang back into its normal -shape, and splicing up the harness, wended our way back across the -minor streams to the track at Birch Hill, wetter, sadder, and wiser men. - -We reached Pukaki Ferry an hour after dark and Fairlie Creek the next -evening, where we found the township in a state of jollification over -the annual race-meeting. Most of the New Zealand country townships -boast of their annual race-meeting, the racing lasting one day, and the -whisky part of the proceedings generally running into three. - -Then we took the train for Christchurch. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -SECOND ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - - _A Flooded Camp in the Tasman Valley—Hard Struggles with Bad - Fortune—We reach Green’s Bivouac_ - - If at first you don’t succeed, - Try, try, try again.—_Nursery Rhyme._ - - -During the winter following my first essay at Alpine climbing I was not -idle, but made several pig-hunting excursions amongst the foot-hills in -North Canterbury, in addition to which, with a companion in the shape -of an old friend and schoolfellow, Mr. M. J. Dixon, I made the ascent -of Mounts Torlesse (6,434 feet) and Puketeraki (5,780 feet) at a time -when these mountains were snow-covered to within 2,000 feet of their -respective bases. - -The former ascent was accomplished in the face of a nor’-west gale, and -well I remember how we had sometimes to lie down on the snow and hold -on to our sticks to avoid being blown clean away. We have twice since -climbed this peak under similar conditions, and I never remember the -wind blowing with such force as it does on Mount Torlesse. - -It was on February 1, 1887, that Messrs. M. J. Dixon, C. H. Inglis, and -myself left Christchurch for a second try at Aorangi. - -We were now well equipped for the attack, having obtained 160 feet of -Alpine rope, three good ice-axes from M. Fritz Boss of Grindelwald, -and suitable nails for our boots. Inglis had his camera and two dozen -plates. - -On arriving at the Hermitage we found that the Hooker River was up and -quite impassable for horses, consequently we were forced to cross the -Mueller Glacier by the Hermitage, walk up the Hooker Valley, and cross -the terminal face of that glacier on to the western slopes of the Mount -Cook Range, after which we worked our way down the river till opposite -the Hermitage again, where a length of fencing wire was thrown across -the torrent by which we were able to take our swags over. - -The roar of the torrent was deafening, and oral communication across -was quite impossible. The wire on our side was made fast eight or -ten feet above the water, and on the other about twenty feet. Three -cheers were given us by the party of tourists on the other bank, to -which we replied, and then we were cut off from the haunts of men for -a week, and thrown quite on our own resources for clothing, food, and -shelter—board and lodging, in fact. - -Then came the arranging of swags, adjustment of carriers, &c., and we -soon discovered that we had all we could carry—over 50 lbs. each. Then -followed the toiling down the steep bank of the river to reach the end -of the range, in the piping heat and glaring sun, now and then having -to ascend the slopes to avoid the river, which rushed along close to -the rocks. - -At one place in particular we experienced some difficulty, having -to resort to the use of the rope to climb a ditch or _couloir_ in -the rock-face where the river boiled past at a terrific pace. Here -the camera was accidentally dropped, and falling down fifty feet or -so, lodged on a ledge which overhung the water. Strange to say, when -recovered it was found to be quite uninjured! - -By dint of continued exertion and considerable expenditure of adipose -tissue we at last turned the end of the range, and upon reaching the -first water as we struck up the Tasman Valley, boiled the ‘billy’ and -made a good lunch. - -The wind now began to rise from the nor’-west, and clouds of dust were -sweeping down the valley, so we lost no time in pressing on to a patch -of Irishman scrub a mile or so below the terminal face of the glacier. -We hurriedly cut some bedding and pitched the tent before the rain came -on, in rather close proximity to an old creek-bed, which had apparently -been dry for some time. - -That creek made up for lost time during the night, and soon the rain -came down in bucketsful as we lay our wearied limbs to rest in our -oiled calico blanket-bags. The thunder crashed and the lightning -flashed, and the Tasman River began to roar, and by one o’clock such -a quantity of rain had fallen as to convert the dry creek-bed into a -roaring torrent, whose waters threw up a bank of shingle, and, turning -its course (horror of all horrors!), came right into our tent. In less -than a minute from the time that we felt the first trickle there was a -foot of water in the tent, and all our impedimenta of every description -were sopping or floating about in the dark, and in imminent danger of -being washed away. - -Hurriedly we collected all we could into our blanket-bags, got into our -boots somehow, and made for higher ground. We could not see a rise in -the ground, but after wading about found a small portion out of water, -and, with much strong language and trouble, succeeded in repitching the -tent—after a fashion. - -Ah! well do we remember the miseries and discomforts of the scene. Wind -blowing in fitful gusts, rain coming down in sheets, while thunder and -lightning and the incessant roar of the Tasman all tended to make the -scene one of terror and discomfort. Matches nearly all destroyed; bread -reduced to a state of pulp; blankets and clothes wet; instruments, -boots, ropes, ice-axes muddled up anywhere, some in the tent, some -being silted up or washed away from the spot where the tent was first -pitched; the floor of the tent now hard, wet stones, in lieu of -comfortable, dry tussock. Oh, the misery of it! - -We lay in our wet clothes the rest of that night, all the following -day, and the next night. Inglis and I scarcely stirred but to eat some -disgusting, soppy mixture or to light our pipes; but Dixon pluckily -rigged up a break-wind with an old tent left by the Birch Hill -shepherds, and after three hours’ persistent labour kindled a fire, -improvising a chimney out of a pair of white flannel trousers and -sundry other garments! - -We were quite hemmed in by water, and were in a constant state of -anxiety lest the river should make depredations in our direction, as -it was quite close to us, whilst in the creek on the other side we -could hear the rocks being rolled down by the force of water. - -Nine inches of rain had fallen during the forty-eight hours, but on -the Sunday it cleared, and once again the warm sun shone out, the -clouds drifted away from the mountains, the birds began to sing, and -the waters subsided as quickly as they had risen, and our spirits rose -again as we spread out our wet belongings on the scrub and donned a -shirt, hat, and a pair of boots apiece, and set out for a visit to -the scene of devastation at the face of the glacier whence the river -issues. The costume was airy but convenient, as we had to cross several -streams before reaching our destination. - -We were well rewarded for our walk, for a wonderful sight was presented -where the river flows out from the glacier. For a distance of half a -mile from the face the banks of the main stream were strewn with blocks -of ice of all sizes up to twelve or fifteen feet in thickness. At one -spot the river rushed in mad violence from a great cavern of ice; in -another it rose as from a geyser from under the ice, sending up a large -column of water to a height of six or eight feet. - -It was quite a new sensation to be dry again, but that night rheumatism -screwed my joints, and some venomous insect bit my shoulder, causing -intense pain for a short time. - -While the rain continued we had all thought of falling back on the -Hermitage as soon as we were able, but a bright sunny morning caused -us to change our plans and forge ahead for the Ball Glacier camp, -weakened though we were in strength and supplies. - -Already we felt that our chance of ascending Aorangi was gone, for -the snow lay thick on the upper peaks and avalanches were of common -occurrence; yet we doggedly pushed on, determined not to turn without a -struggle. - -Leaping from rock to rock, avoiding the scrub and Spaniards by -sticking to the moraine slopes, and scrambling over great _tali_ of -boulders which came from the mountain sides, by evening we reached our -destination (the Ball Glacier), and finding the surveyor’s chain, tent -poles, and hatchet—left by Fox and myself the previous season—in -good order, we quickly had a comfortable camp pitched. A small army -of mountain parrots or keas soon assembled, and the unerring shanghai -procured grilled kea for supper. - -Next morning broke gloriously fine, and by 7 A.M. we were away with -blanket-bags, three days’ ‘tucker,’ and a change of warm clothing, -intending to reach Green’s bivouac on the Haast Ridge that evening, and -to make a final dash at Aorangi on the day following. - -Once again we plunged into all those pleasures and joys of -mountaineering. Again we felt the clear ice of the beautiful -Hochstetter Glacier crunch under our iron-shod feet. Now we were -away from all the hum-drum cares of life, from the misery of flooded -camps, in the free mountain air, with the stupendous ice-falls and the -majestic peaks all around. We seemed to breathe a heavenly atmosphere, -to live a new life in another and a better world. Where is the man who -can come into contact with these surroundings and not be better in -body and soul? - -We reached the foot of the Haast Ridge by 9.30, and here we debated -as to whether we should tackle Aorangi after all, or try De la -Bêche, further up the glacier (which peak would be an easier ascent -and command a magnificent view of both eastern and western glacier -systems). Aorangi it was, however, we had come to tackle, and so, again -shouldering our swags, we went at the ridge. - -We kept to the crest of the spur and found the climbing very simple, -for a thousand feet amongst lilies and snow-grass; but after that the -real business amongst rotten and precipitous rock ridges and faces -commenced, and we had to put on the rope. At this time none of us were -very proficient in the use of the rope, but we soon began to value the -assistance it affords and to appreciate the assurance it inspires. - -It was not until 5 P.M. that we reached the top of the ridge, where we -soon discovered Green’s bivouac, not far from which spot we determined -to spend the night. - -All the way up we had been climbing with the Hochstetter ice-fall on -our left, and had been favoured with the grandest views of Aorangi, -which looked absolutely impregnable; but as our view of the Linda -Glacier and the Great Plateau was shut off by the upper part of the -Haast Ridge, we could not see the route which we were bent on following. - -Here I may remark that the route by which Mr. Green, and subsequently -Dixon and myself climbed the mountain cannot be seen from any distant -point. I refer, of course, to the upper part of the route above the -Haast Ridge. Even the plateau is so shut in as to be invisible from any -distant point, except from the peaks of the Malte Brun Range on the -opposite side of the valley. - -Scraping away all the larger stones from under an overhanging rock -and building a semicircular break-wind, we dug holes for our hips -(one gets very sore in hard beds of this nature if such a precaution -be neglected), wriggled into our blanket-bags, boiled a pannikin of -Liebig, and slept like tops till the morning. - -The rosy fingers of the morn had just opened the gates of day as our -heads emerged from the apertures of our bags, and showed one of the -most magnificent panoramas of Alpine wonder which it has been my lot to -view. - -Three thousand feet below us lay the Tasman Glacier with its marvellous -stream of pure ice, on our right the Hochstetter ice-fall, on which -we could look down and view with wonder its chaos of _séracs_ and -crevasses, the ice-clad precipices of Aorangi rising heavenwards -from it in bold ruggedness. Down the valley to the south-west the -grey moraine, with the meandering river still further afield. Across -the valley the rocky peaks of the Liebig and Malte Brun Ranges with -their hanging glaciers, and right opposite to us Malte Brun himself, -a pyramid of red rock, flanked by ice and snow slopes, standing out -clearly against the morning sky like a great grim castle, and looking -quite safe from any assault of man—on this side at all events. -Following round the panorama to the northwards, Mount Darwin sends -its one great glacier sweeping down into the main stream; then the -Hochstetter Dome stands at the head of the Tasman Glacier itself, and -westward rise the noble summits of Mounts Elie de Beaumont, Green, and -De la Bêche—the last a most beautiful triple peak, queen of the whole -group, and over 10,000 feet in height. Still following round, the eye -falls on the Rudolf Glacier descending from the peak of the same name, -then Mounts Jervois, Spencer, Glacier Peak, and lastly Mount Haidinger, -a fine flat-topped mountain clothed from base to summit in broken ice. - -Behind us lay Mount Tasman (11,475 feet), invisible over the higher -parts of the spur on which we were now situated. From our coign of -vantage we counted twenty-five tributary glaciers of the Tasman, some -with ice-falls, others joining with graceful curve. - -We congratulated ourselves that all our weary toil and hard swagging -had not been fruitless, and felt quite compensated for the miseries -we had gone through at the lower camp, though the main object of our -visit, we feared, was about to be defeated in a very short time. We -pulled ourselves together, put on the rope, and resolved to make some -pretence of a fight for it. - -After an hour’s work we reached the highest rocks, then there came a -dip on to a snow saddle, beyond which, again, snow slopes lead on to -the final summit of the spur which hid the Great Plateau. - -But it was not to be; for whenever we went on to snow we sank -waist-deep, and struggled in vain to make any headway. Here, then, we -were beaten, and planting our Christ’s College flag in the highest -rocks, gave it three cheers for the old school days, and depositing a -bottle with the record of our ascent, turned our backs on the grim -giant Aorangi, and began to go down. - -We struck a better route down by going into some _couloirs_ north of -the _arête_ of the spur, and reached the Ball Glacier camp again, going -down the following day to the Hermitage, after crossing the Hooker by -the kind assistance of a shepherd from Birch Hill. The Hooker River had -risen to such an extent during the rain storm as to carry away the wire -on which we had slung our swags across. The camera was warped with the -wet at the lower camp, whilst the plates were anything but ‘dry’ after -the storm, so photography was altogether a failure in this excursion. - -In the winter time we amused ourselves with another ascent of Mount -Torlesse. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THIRD ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - -_Photography on the Tasman Glacier—Attempt to scale Mount De la Bêche_ - - Where rose the mountains, there to him were friends.—_Childe Harold._ - - -It is a thousand pities that the ennobling pursuit of mountaineering is -so neglected in this wonderland of peaks and glaciers. Such advantages -as we enjoy surely cannot exist much longer without calling out the -spirit which lies dormant in hundreds of the lovers of adventure and -worshippers of the beautiful in Nature, who live on in our midst from -day to day in a conventional and monotonous round. - -There are pleasures in the pursuit of adventure amongst the great -snow-fields and glaciers which only those who are initiated can -thoroughly enjoy. - -Ask the man who goes climbing what these pleasures are, and he cannot -tell you, he cannot define them—yet he feels them, and they are ever -luring him on. They are indefinite, inexpressible; but there is a sort -of ‘mountain fever’ which comes when one has once ‘lost one’s heart -to the great mountains.’ In the work all a man’s best physical, and -many of his mental, powers are brought out and strengthened. There is -the energy, perseverance, and patience to last through a long day’s -swagging, the pluck to face all sorts of dangers amongst the snow, -ice, and rocks, combined with the prudence to know when, for the safety -of oneself and the party, to give in and restrain enthusiasm. There are -the qualities of organisation and system, for which plenty of exercise -is found; indeed, one cannot overrate the benefits which accrue. - -Let any who have indulged in different branches of athletics put their -swags on their backs and go for a mountain climb, and I venture to say -that there are greater opportunities for bringing their frames into -good going order and testing their muscular abilities than can be met -with in any school of athletics. - -I have known men in England who have revelled in all our great national -games, but who invariably put mountaineering at the head of the list -after once having tasted the sweets of climbing and been captivated by -the charms of the world above the snow-line. - -To the artistic what do not the mountains offer? To the botanist, the -geologist, the naturalist, the athlete, and even to the invalid? The -strange new world one enters in sub-Alpine regions, the ‘foretaste of -heaven’ one seems to get above the snow-line. - -In out-of-the-way New Zealand we have all these benefits at hand, and -yet we leave the opening out and exploration of our great glacier -systems to foreigners and to visitors from distant lands. - -But this is digressive, and I must tell the story of our third visit to -the Tasman Glacier. - -On the evening of March 23, 1889, the visitors at the Hermitage -were suddenly moved to compassion, mingled with no small amount of -amusement, in beholding through the fast-falling snow-flakes the -arrival of a dog-cart and tandem. - -The leader of the team, a big chestnut draught-mare, seemed to be doing -all the work, and pulling along wheeler, cart and all. The travel-worn -and weary occupants of the vehicle were Mr. M. J. Dixon and myself, and -we had taken French leave for Mr. Huddleston’s chestnut at Birch Hill, -six miles down the road from the Hermitage, our leader having almost -given in after a 250-mile journey from Christchurch. - -Another bold, would-be mountaineer, Mr. P. H. Johnson, accompanied -us with the knocked-up leader, and following in the coach was Mr. -F. Cooper, a photographic operator from Messrs. Wheeler and Son of -Christchurch, who was to join our party for a week’s work amongst the -scenes of the Tasman Glacier. - -The morning of the 24th revealed the flats around the Hermitage all -snow-covered, and the day was devoted to completing preparations for a -fortnight’s camp on the glacier. - -On the 25th, the weather improving, our party left the Hermitage, being -joined by James Annan and William Low, the former a boundary keeper on -the rabbit fence, the latter engaged to help us with the swagging. Two -better men over rough ground never put swag on back, and both entered -into the spirit of the expedition and worked like Trojans to make it a -success. - -We drove our dog-cart down to the Hooker River at the usual -crossing-place—the point of the Mount Cook Range—over two or three -miles of boulders which tested the merits of the coachbuilder’s art to -the utmost, as also the driver’s ability to stay in the cart. Here we -found that a wire rope, some 200 feet in length, had been thrown across -the river to facilitate the work of the rabbiters, who were engaged -in keeping back the hordes of ‘silver-greys’ which were making their -way northwards and ruining run-holders right and left. On this wire -rope is slung, on runners, a rude box, travellers entering the same -pull themselves across, and almost invariably take the skin off their -knuckles with the runners. Crossing by this rope we piled our swags on -to Annan’s packhorse and walked three miles up the valley to a patch -of Wild Irishman scrub, where since our last visit a small galvanised -iron hut had been built. A day’s delay here with bad weather, and then -we shouldered our swags, and on the evening of the 27th reached our -well-known Ball Glacier camp. - -Our plans were as follows: To do a few days’ work with the -photographer, so as to settle his business first, and then be free -to tackle Aorangi during the following week. We wished to give the -photographer every assistance in our power, as such scenery does not -often come within reach of the photographic artist, however energetic -he may be, and can only be approached by a properly equipped Alpine -party, strong enough to carry a good supply of provisions and all the -necessaries for preserving life in such out-of-the-way parts. - -Our first excursion, then, was to cross the Tasman Glacier and make -for the point of the Malte Brun Range at the turn in the glacier just -opposite the point of De la Bêche. Here it was that Dr. von Lendenfeld -had made his bivouac for his remarkable ascent of the Hochstetter -Dome in 1883, when he was accompanied by his wife and one porter—an -ascent that took twenty-seven hours of constant ice and snow work. This -excursion would effect the double purpose of giving us some practice in -ice work, and of securing a fine set of views. - -The day was gloriously fine, and we felt our spirits rise as we -scrambled over the massive lateral moraine of the Ball Glacier, across -the glacier itself—which, by-the-by, shows very dirty ice at this -point, being laden with rocks brought down many years since in the -avalanches from the great ice-seamed crags of Aorangi, which towered in -lofty grandeur above us—then over the medial moraine between the Ball -and Hochstetter Glaciers, where a halt was made, and views of Aorangi -and the Hochstetter ice-fall were secured. - -Once more we stood before this marvellous piece of Nature’s handiwork, -again we heard the thunder of the avalanches, again we saw the -glinting, bristling _séracs_, and gazed in silence and admiration on -the ice-fall of the Hochstetter. - -Crossing the Hochstetter we struck up the medial moraine between that -and the Tasman, straight for the point of De la Bêche. - -[Illustration: MOUNT COOK AND THE HERMITAGE - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -The best walking on the New Zealand glaciers is almost invariably found -upon the margin of the medial moraine close to where it joins the clear -ice, so that one is travelling over a mixture of ice and rocks. The -clear ice is too hummocky and entails much undulating progression, -if I may use such an expression, and the moraine itself—well, -the walking on the moraine itself cannot be fitly described in -parliamentary language. - -We secured many good views as we proceeded with a 10 × 8 camera. Mount -Haidinger on our left was particularly fine, its eastern face being -almost entirely clothed with the Haast Glacier, which struck us as -being one of the finest cascades of ice we had yet seen, larger in -extent than the ice-fall of the Hochstetter, though not so picturesque. - -Time was fast going, and we found that to get off the glacier before -dark it would be requisite to strike away to our right, over a mile of -much crevassed ice, to the gully next in the Malte Brun Range, which we -had originally set out to reach. Jumping crevasses and cutting a few -occasional steps, we at last arrived at the eastern side, finding a -very suitable place to pitch our Whymper tent, and discovering to our -joy a small supply of firewood. - -The gully in which we camped had its origin far away up in the -red-sandstone precipices of Malte Brun, and in its bed rushed down a -foaming mountain torrent fed everlastingly by the many small hanging -glaciers above. This stream rushed headlong into a large tunnel of ice -in the side of the Tasman Glacier, over which was formed a tremendous -cave, above which, again, were sheer walls of ice capped with morainic -accumulations, the height from tunnel mouth to moraine summits being -about 500 feet. - -A view of this cave was secured by the photographer. - -Friday the 29th was a morning to be remembered. Thick mists covered -the peaks and seemed to hang over us like a pall. Here and there a -shaft of sunlight penetrated to the ice-field at our feet. Only now and -then would the rude screech of a kea remind us that we were not really -dreaming in some enchanted land. - -We had often talked of attempting the ascent of Mount De la Bêche when -we should have polished off Aorangi; but as Aorangi seemed to require -so much ‘polishing off,’ and we were now camped so close to De la -Bêche, we thought we might as well try our hand at the mountain and see -what we could do in a one-day’s trip from this point, while we left the -artist to his own devices for the time being. - -De la Bêche, then, it was to be. So off we started after a breakfast -of sheep’s tongues and Liebig, putting our oilskins on our backs and -taking our axes, and striking due north for the foot of the long -_arête_ which descends from the mountain and separates the Rudolf -from the Tasman Glacier. Halfway to our ridge we had to put on the -rope, for legs began to go through the now snow-covered crevasses in a -promiscuous and unpleasant fashion. - -It was indeed like an enchanted land, for the atmospheric effects were -extraordinary. High up, shadowed in the mist, were reproduced the -forms of the highest peaks of Mounts Malte Brun and Darwin. There was -no mistaking their familiar outline, which was thrown out in the mist -thousands of feet above, like the spectre on the Brocken. - -[Illustration: CROSSING THE HOOKER RIVER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -Then the atmospheric effect of the mist hanging over the Rudolf Glacier -was most wonderful. Looking up the glacier, we seemed to gaze into -an enormous blue grotto, the sides being the slopes of the main chain -with all its broken glaciers, and the western slopes of De la Bêche, -whilst the overhanging mist furnished the roof or ceiling. A soft, -warm, blue colour pervaded the whole, beautiful beyond expression. - -Arriving at the foot of our mountain we commenced the ascent, finding -the snow of the ice slopes in a loose and powdery condition, and having -to exercise much judgment to avoid precipitating avalanches in the -steeper pinches. - -We climbed without the rope, rapidly, and alternately in snow and -rocks, finding the latter very good—mostly of a red sandstone on which -the nails of our boots took good hold. Looking now and then at the -aneroid, we began to feel confident of making the ascent and returning -to our camp by nightfall. But it was not to be, for, at an altitude of -8,100 feet, we were brought up by a very bad _bergschrund_ and ridge of -rocks succeeding it. - -To the unlearned in Alpine parlance perhaps an explanation of the -nature of a _bergschrund_ is necessary. At the upper termination of -nearly all highly situated ice slopes there almost invariably occurs -between the rocks above, or between the ice slope and the permanent -clinging ice above, a large gap or crevasse, partially filled or -bridged with new snow during the winter months, but more open as the -warmth of spring and summer causes the snow to melt and the ice to -shrink away. - -This crevasse or gap is called a _bergschrund_, and occasionally one -may find in it places where the ice nearly or quite touches the -rocks or ice of the upper side, or sometimes a sound snow bridge may -be discovered. These bridges afford the only means of crossing wide -_bergschrunds_. At the place in question a sharp ridge of ice, the -lower lip of the _bergschrund_, led on to a frail snow bridge with a -dip of some six feet or so in the centre, over a bottomless abyss some -fifteen feet wide. - -Dixon cut steps along the ice ridge, having first to remove a foot of -fresh snow from the surface, and then we walked this novel tight rope, -the _bergschrund_ on our left and steep ice slopes on our right, and -crossed the bridge in safety to a small ledge of ice where there was -only just room for three to stand. Could we proceed? The rocks above -were very bad and ice-coated. I went at them, clearing the inch or so -of ice to get my fingers into chinks in the rock, and ‘squirming’ up -on my stomach, clinging with toes and fingers, and feeling disposed to -hang on by my teeth or even by the proverbial eyelids, reached, fifty -feet above, the crest of the ridge. - -I had been in some queer places in the mountains, but, pardon the use -of a colonial expression, this one decidedly ‘took the cake,’ and I -shall never forget the start I received when I found myself looking -over a sheer upright face of rock on to an unnamed tributary glacier of -the Rudolf, 1,000, perhaps 2,000, feet below. I dared not stand up and -could scarcely crawl, but lay full length on the steep eastern slope -looking over the sharp ridge down the western precipice. On the right, -the razor-like _arête_ of rock continued upwards, and seemed almost, if -not quite, inaccessible. - -[Illustration: AORANGI FROM THE BALL GLACIER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -Then there was a long-range discussion between Dixon and Johnson -on the ledge below and myself on the ridge, ending in a decision to -descend. - -I never to this day can imagine how I came down that fifty feet of -rocks without slipping into the crevasse below, but, by the aid of -Dixon’s directions, I managed to find chinks in the rock-face for the -toes of my boots, and reached the ledge to breathe the air of relief -once more. - -Here we held a council of war. We might, by a traverse of the ice -ridge below, gain the rocks again above this bad place; but the summit -was yet 2,000 feet above us, the cold so intense that the steel of -one’s axe would adhere to the hand, the time was fast going, and -the photographer and our men would be much concerned if we stayed -out another night, besides which we were short of provisions, our -original intention having been to stay out but one night. We decided to -acknowledge ourselves beaten for the time being and to return to camp. - -It goes against the grain with Dixon and me to turn back beaten from -a peak. Indeed De la Bêche and Aorangi are the only ones to which we -have lowered the colours of our grand old school—Christ’s College -Grammar School, of Christchurch, New Zealand—and the latter we have -since revenged ourselves upon. The former will not run away, and we are -nursing a vindictive feeling against this noble triple-topped summit. - -Descending very rapidly, glissading now and then in safe places, we -reached the foot and struck over the Tasman Glacier again for our camp -on the Malte Brun. - -Well for us that we had turned from De la Bêche, for an hour from -camp, Dixon, who had been complaining of not feeling up to the mark for -some days and had been lagging—an unusual thing for him—was suddenly -seized with violent cramp in the stomach and thighs. We thought at the -time it was only temporary, consequent upon great physical exertion and -drinking too much snow-water; but unfortunately he did not seem able to -shake it off, and we had some difficulty in reaching camp over the maze -of crevasses which occur in the glacier just where our Malte Brun Creek -enters. - -Here was a nice state of affairs. One of our best men gone wrong. How -about Aorangi next week? - -Saturday morning found us ‘tuckerless’ and hungry, and Dixon worse -rather than better. - -At 9 A.M. we struck camp and started for the Ball Glacier—really -only four hours distant. Whilst taking some views an hour from camp -we suddenly heard shouts down the glacier, and found that it was our -trusty men, Annan and Low, who, being concerned about our lengthened -absence from the lower camp, had come out to look for us. - -Johnson, Low, and Annan took the bulk of the swags and started -independently for the Ball Glacier, whilst I stayed to follow at a more -leisurely pace with Dixon and the photographer. Dixon could only walk -for a few minutes at a time and required to rest very frequently, so I -sent Cooper on alone, not dreaming for a moment that he could go wrong -in such simple ground, where no crevasses to speak of occurred. - -[Illustration: ICE CAVE, TASMAN GLACIER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -It was 5 P.M. ere we arrived at the head-quarters after a gallant -struggle on Dixon’s part. These are the times which test a man’s -capabilities, these are the trials of endurance to which the -unfortunate who chances to be taken ill in these Alpine regions is -subjected, and it was a great relief to all to see the afflicted one -struggle bravely into camp. - -But a new trouble arose. There was no photographer, and he ought to -have turned up long ago. Johnson set out to look for him, and after -an absence of an hour I was just putting up a swag of mackintoshes, -provisions, &c., prepared to spend the night photographer-hunting on -the glacier, when Johnson’s figure appeared against the sky on the -crest of the lateral moraine, shortly followed by that of the missing -man, who had wandered down past the camp instead of turning off at the -right place. Low and Annan had gone down the valley, and were to come -up next day with more provisions. - -The next day being Sunday, we decided to have a day’s well-earned rest. -Messrs. Brodrick and Sladden, of the Survey Department, came up with -Annan and Low to dinner, bearing with them medical comforts for the use -of our invalid. - -As there were still some dry plates left unexposed, Cooper and I went -out about 10 A.M. and climbed to a height of 1,000 feet above the camp, -on the Ball Glacier spur, from whence we secured a panoramic view on -four plates of the glacier and the mountains opposite. - -From this point, seeing Aorangi looking so grand, we pushed on up the -ridge, intending to secure an exposure from a high altitude. Upwards -we climbed, and the further we went the more I was lured on towards -the main southern ridge of the mountain. I even conceived the idea of -making a pass over to the Hermitage _viâ_ the Hooker Glacier. But the -work became more difficult, and we got into patches of snow and were -unfortunately without our ice-axes. This made our progress more slow -and cautious. Still we pushed forward, the scene becoming grander at -every step. - -At length the light began to fade, and I saw that to get an exposure -of the peak from the main ridge was hopeless, so Cooper unlimbered his -instrument and I pushed on alone, determined to reach the saddle, at -least, and see over to the other side. Reaching the final snow—that -covering the actual head of the Ball Glacier, which had been below us -on our right all the day—I sped across it as fast as I could go, and -keeping a sharp look out for indentations indicating covered crevasses, -reached the rocks of a peak situate a little south of the saddle of the -Ball Glacier. Crawling over a snow bridge spanning the _bergschrund_, -which crumbled uncomfortably under me as I laid hold of the rocks on -the upper side, after a short scramble I attained the summit. - -How shall I tell of the view southwards which met my astonished gaze? -How describe the glorious sunset effects? Life is not long enough to -attempt it. - -I was on the nameless peak south of the Ball Glacier saddle at an -altitude of 7,540 feet—the highest peak south of the great majestic -mass of Aorangi himself, who towered up for another 5,000 feet above me. - -[Illustration: MOUNT DE LA BÊCHE (10,021 FEET) FROM THE TASMAN GLACIER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -I quote from Mr. Green to give some idea of what he thought of our -mountains from this point:— - -‘Deep down below us lay the Hooker Glacier, reminding us of the -downward view from the _arête_ of the Finsteraarhorn, while beyond, the -glacier-seamed crags of Mount Sefton towered skywards. - -‘Further off lay the _mer de glace_ of the Mueller Glacier, a splendid -field of white ice, its lower moraine-covered termination lost in the -blue depths of the valley at our feet. The high ridge connecting Mount -Sefton with Mount Stokes alone prevented us from seeing the western -sea. It was a glorious day, scarcely a breath of air stirring; no -cloud visible in the whole vault of blue; ranges upon ranges of peaks -in all directions and of every form, from the iced-capped dome to the -splintered _aiguille_. It was a wonderful sight, those lovely peaks -standing up out of the purple haze; and then to think that not one had -been climbed! Here was work, not for a short holiday ramble merely, not -to be accomplished even in a lifetime, but work for a whole company -of climbers, which would occupy them for half a century of summers, -and still there would remain many a new route to be tried. Here, then, -we stood upon the shoulder of the monarch of the whole mountain world -around us, within less than 5,000 feet of his icy crown, but a long, -jagged, ice-seamed ridge lay in our path. Was it accessible? Let us -see!’ - -It was not accessible, as anyone who has read Mr. Green’s interesting -book will know, and I could see from my standpoint very plainly that -Mr. Green, with Emil Boss and Ulrich Kaufmann—two of the finest -mountaineers in the world—could not do otherwise than accept a defeat. - -Just such a scene as Mr. Green describes I saw, only that its mystic -beauty was intensified by the soft glow of evening as the sun sank -lower and lower, at last dipping behind a bank of crimson clouds -hanging over a saddle to the westward. - -I seemed spellbound and almost riveted to the spot, and could only tear -myself away when I realised the awkward position of the photographer -and myself, trapped, as it were, by the fast-closing darkness, 4,000 -feet above our camp, with all sorts of climbing difficulties below. -Clambering down the rocks and jumping the _bergschrund_, away I sped -over the névé slopes, and reaching Cooper after an hour’s absence, -found him just packing up his camera. - -It is too long a story to tell of all our troubles and adventures in -getting down the mountain in the dark; letting ourselves down on to -the rocks, scraping our hands on sharp edges, plunging knee-deep in -soft snow, following false ridges terminating in precipices down to -the Ball Glacier below, retracing our erring steps, and at last coming -to vegetation again; then going down off the ridge towards the Tasman, -trying to hit the head of a long shingle slip I was acquainted with, -hearing 2,000 feet above the camp the first ‘cooee’ from our anxious -mates below, and getting down eventually at half-past ten, ravenous, -and almost torn to pieces by the sharp rocks, Spaniards, and scrub. - -Johnson—always self-denying and considerate for others—was out -photographer-hunting again, having gone on to the Ball Glacier and -shouted himself hoarse; he arrived back in camp at 1 A.M. (having been -guided home by a fire which I had kept going on the moraine since -our return), after having experienced a fruitless hunt of eight hours -over rough rocks and ice. This finished the photography, and on the -following day Cooper and Low went down to the Hermitage. A finer week -for securing negatives could not have been wished for, and the thirty -exposures resulted in the best set of mountain views yet obtained in -New Zealand. - -Now ensued a few days’ rest, Dixon, Johnson, and I being left in camp -with a week’s provisions and designs on Aorangi, when Dixon should have -recovered his strength. - -Only one short excursion did Johnson and I make, to see if it were -possible to reach the Great Plateau from the eastern buttress of the -mountain, and so save crossing the Hochstetter Glacier and climbing -the Haast Ridge beyond. Our endeavours were fruitless, for at a height -of some 6,300 feet we were brought up by a high wall of rock. I still -think, nevertheless, that the plateau could be reached in this manner -when a good deal of snow fills the rocky _couloirs_ or ditches which -in places descend in this wall of rock. Should this be so, it will -no doubt prove to be the route of the future for reaching the Linda -Glacier and Aorangi. - -The rock-climbing here, however, is very dangerous, as the frost has -split the rocks up in all directions. One small stone thrown down from -above sufficed to start many tons of loose matter in the _couloirs_, -which rattled down to the glacier below, sending up clouds of dust in -its descent. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE ASCENT OF THE HOCHSTETTER DOME - -_Camp under De la Bêche—Twelve Hours on Snow and Ice—The Pangs of -Hunger_ - - -Thursday, April 4, was a memorable day, for Annan coming up from the -Hermitage with a further supply of the ever-welcome ‘tucker,’ we -started on one of the finest mountain expeditions I have seen in our -New Zealand mountains. - -It was not part of our original plan to ascend the Dome; we merely -intended to reach the Lendenfeld Saddle and get a glimpse of the -opposite coast and the western ocean, and it was with this object in -view that Johnson, Annan, and I shouldered our swags and tramped off to -the foot of De la Bêche, which was made in three hours’ hard walking. - -Here we camped in a snug hollow between the lateral moraines of the -Tasman and Rudolf Glaciers. Small shingle composed our bed, and a snow -patch close by provided us with water, which we boiled in our ‘Aurora’ -stove, as no firewood was to be found so far up the glacier. - -[Illustration: PEAKS ON MALTE BRUN - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -A fine Friday morning found us at a quarter to seven on the rope, and -making hard work of it amongst the crevasses of the Tasman Glacier. - -I remember well how we resorted to all sorts of dodges to get over -the difficulties, taking the snow slopes of the mountain sides here, -cutting a few steps there, even going to the length of climbing down -into crevasses and crawling under ice blocks. But eventually we passed -the worst of the crevasses, and made good time over the smooth, -snow-covered surface of the glacier. - -The distance from our De la Bêche camp to the saddle must be about six -or seven miles, but in the soft and treacherous snow it seemed more -like sixty or seventy. - -The glare was something dreadful, and soon our faces and hands were -of the peculiar chocolate colour which invariably comes under such -circumstances. We could not bear the goggles off for an instant. -Gradually we rose as we plodded away, now and then stepping over an -open crevasse or making a détour to find snow bridges. There are but -few crevasses, however, for several miles, only when in the proximity -of the saddle where the gradient increases they once more begin to -occur. - -On either hand fresh beauties opened out; De la Bêche on our left -presenting the most wonderful face of _sérac_ ice, streaked here and -there with avalanche slopes, whilst on the right Mount Malte Brun—the -Matterhorn of New Zealand—reared his great red precipices heavenwards, -and further on the Darwin Glacier and Mount Darwin showed in a glorious -light their magic splendour. - -Now on our left we passed Mount Green, a fine precipitous cone of rocks -and ice, and then we rose faster and faster as we edged on to the -slopes of the great Hochstetter Dome on our right, whilst opposite, -Mount Elie de Beaumont showered down his ice streams to join the Tasman. - -Taking turns at leading, at last we came to what looked like the final -rise. An exclamation broke from Johnson as he espied the new moon -appear over the saddle ahead. It was a small matter, but it seemed -to revive our failing energy and to call us on to victory to see -the silver crescent apparently awaiting us on the snow ridge. Then -a distant peak appeared—a wild cheer broke from us; another peak, -and yet one more, followed by groups of twos and threes, dozens, -hundreds—glaciers! forest! a river! the sea! the boundless ocean! -‘Hurrah!’ we shouted, ‘our tramp has not been in vain.’ - -Here we were in the heart of Nature’s solitudes, where only once before -the foot of man had trodden the eternal snows. - -We spent forty-five minutes refreshing the inner man and drinking in -the glorious view, consulting maps, and reading the aneroid. The saddle -was 8,600 feet high; the Dome was but 9,315 feet. Should we try it? -Yes, we would. - -At it we went, cutting many steps and crossing several awkward -_bergschrunds_, until we reached a level plateau. Crossing this field -we attacked the final slopes. It was terrific work, and the last pinch -required 280 steps, all cut with the spike of the axe and deeply -graven, as a slip in such a place would probably have meant the loss of -the entire party in one of the crevasses in the slope below. - -My hands were blistered with the axe work, but at 3 P.M. we were able -to walk on the fast rounding-off slopes without steps, and soon we -were on the summit, happy and flushed with victory. The mountain has a -double top and we were on the western and slightly lower one. - -What shall I say of the view from the Hochstetter Dome? It is -comprehensive and wonderful. The whole country lay like a map before -us. Westwards Elie de Beaumont and the western ocean, at our feet the -Whymper Glacier, from which flowed the Wataroa River, threading its -way through forest-and glacier-clad mountains to the sea, twenty miles -away. Northwards and eastwards extended in glorious and shining array -the magnificent chain of the Alps; glacier upon glacier, peak upon -peak, range upon range of splendid mountains. Eastwards a fine rocky -peak without a name and Mount Darwin, and looking south-westwards -down the Tasman Glacier, from whence we had toiled our laborious way, -the eye could follow the course of the great ice stream for twelve or -thirteen miles, flanked by the grand mountains which sent down their -tributary ice streams to join the mass in the valley below. - -We gave three hearty cheers for her Majesty, and three for our proud -little colony, and commenced the descent, going down backwards in the -steps, and taking firm hold with our axes at every movement. - -Time was precious, and on leaving the steps we ran down most of the -less crevassed slopes, and soon found ourselves at the foot of the -conquered mountain. Away we plodded down the glacier again—a hard, -monotonous grind—till we arrived in the failing light at the system -of crevasses on the outside of the turn of the glacier, close to our -camp of the previous night. - -This time we kept further out from the edge; but it was six of one and -half a dozen of the other, for soon we were completely entrapped in a -perfect maze of transverse and longitudinal crevasses, over which the -only mode of progression was continued jumping. - -This work in the dusk was anything but pleasant, yet had to be -accomplished, and thanks to the aid of the rope, after leaping hundreds -of them, we at length found our way off the side of the glacier to our -tent. - -How we watched the slowly warming ‘billy’ with eager eyes, and drank in -fancy over and over again the pannikin of hot Liebig. How we shut the -wind out and nursed the stinking kerosene stove! Alas for our hopes and -our hungry stomachs, the lamp went wrong somehow, and the oil flowing -over, the tent was on the verge of catching fire when Annan gave the -whole concern a kick which sent flaming lamp, ‘billy’ and all outside. -I hope the strong language and expressions of disgust have long since -been forgiven us; but I really think they were justified. - -Twelve hours’ hard going did the Dome require. Von Lendenfeld took -twenty-seven from the point of Malte Brun just opposite this camp. - -Three hours’ walking the next morning saw us back at our head-quarters, -the Ball Glacier camp, where we found Dixon in active preparation for -an assault on Aorangi, though not so strong as we could have wished. - -Now a great council of war was held, the main point of discussion being -as to whether we should attempt our long deferred ascent of Aorangi, -which was, as usual, the chief object of our visit to the glaciers. - -Here we were, with provisions for four or five days longer, the -mountain apparently in good order, the weather perfection, and we were -not pushed for time. The mountain had been inspected by various members -of the party from different coigns of vantage. We had seen from a -distance the _névé_ fields leading on to the Linda Glacier. - -Against this we had first to consider the state of Dixon’s health. He -was quite prepared, and anxious to try the ascent. We thought that it -would be too much for him. Then there was the accident to the lamp, -which was now useless, there was no firewood at the bivouac, 7,400 feet -up, and no sure means of procuring water. Annan, too, had to leave to -attend to his work down country, and I think, if the truth were told, -that Johnson and I felt as if we had had enough of mountaineering for a -time. - -Yet we were very loth to turn our faces away again from the grim giant -who had defied us so long, and it was only with much reluctance that we -decided to abandon the project. So for the third time I retired from -the ramparts of Aorangi unsuccessful, on this occasion without even so -much as an attempt. - -We came down to the Hermitage once more, and after a day or two’s quiet -rest yoked Dixon’s celebrated tandem up, crossed the Tasman River, thus -cutting off thirty miles of our homeward journey, and reached Fairlie -Creek in two days. Here I took the train, whilst Dixon and Johnson -drove home. The drive down and back—500 miles—was accomplished in -twelve days’ travelling with the same team of horses. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -FOURTH ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - -_We reach the Great Plateau at last—Defeat again—The Crossing of the -Ball Pass_ - -‘Perge et perage.’ - - -Once again, on January 4, 1890, in company with Mr. Arthur Harper, a -gentleman who had then done two seasons’ climbing in Switzerland, I -left Christchurch to try conclusions afresh with the monarch of the -Southern Alps. - -On this occasion we reached the Hermitage in two days from -Christchurch, riding from Fairlie Creek, and crossing the Tasman River -opposite Burnett’s Mount Cook sheep station. Here we were joined by -Annan, who had already conveyed the bulk of our impedimenta to the Ball -Glacier camp. - -On arrival at this point I at once remarked that the ice of the -Ball Glacier had risen above its customary level, and seemed to be -encroaching in a lateral direction—a circumstance which undoubtedly -points to a cycle of advance in the great body of the ice, to be -registered at the terminal face in years to come. - -It will not be out of place here to give a description of our usual -Alpine outfit, which may enable others to glean some idea of what is -requisite and convenient for Alpine work in New Zealand. - -The most necessary gear for ice and rock work is suitable boots, -broad-soled and flat-heeled, shod well but not too thickly with heavy -hobs, wrought nails being preferable to cast. An ice-axe for each -man—not the light tourist’s axe, but a guide’s axe. Alpine rope -is quite indispensable, and Buckingham’s is the favourite make; we -usually take two or three 50-feet lengths. Two tents, 6 feet by 8 -feet and 6 feet by 7 feet, the former for use at the head camp, the -latter a tent built after the ‘Whymper’ pattern with the floor sewn -in, but capable of being pitched on inverted ice-axes lengthened by -two 18-inch supplementary poles (an ingenious contrivance of Dixon’s). -Sleeping bags, 7 feet by 3 feet, made of blanketing, and covered -with an outside bag of oiled calico, impervious to water. Aneroid, -thermometer, prismatic compass, pocket compass. Goggles (neutral tint) -are invaluable, and save the eyes from the awful glare which is always -experienced on new snow and from the blinding sleet which drives in a -storm. Folding lanterns (Austrian pattern) often enable one to find the -way to camp when benighted or to make very early starts. A sheath-knife -comes in very handy in camp, and a supply of fresh nails for our boots -is never omitted, whilst a small ‘Aurora’ lamp stove is invaluable -above the line of vegetation, and a shanghai, or common schoolboy’s -window-breaker, is often useful in procuring birds for the _cuisine_. - -[Illustration: THE TASMAN GLACIER FROM NEAR THE DE LA BÊCHE CAMP - -[_From a Photograph by A. P. Harper_] - -For clothing, woollen shirts and knickerbockers of warm tweed material -are the best, and great comfort is to be found in a loose-fitting -boating ‘sweater’ worn over the waistcoat. - -For provisions we generally rely on fresh mutton, to be fried in the -pan or boiled in the ‘billy,’ bread, biscuits, rice, oatmeal, Liebig’s -Extract, chocolate, tea, and so on. A pound or two of fresh butter is -always a boon, and a few tins of marmalade, whilst to some men onions -supply the oft-felt want of a vegetable diet. - -There is another indispensable, which here, as in the Caucasus, is very -necessary. I refer to the late Mr. Donkin’s naïve requisite at the end -of his Caucasus list—‘infinite patience’; and to this may be added -fixedness of purpose, determination, and perseverance. - - * * * * * - -Mount Cook, or Aorangi, from a climber’s point of view, is a very -difficult peak to climb, even to a height of 9,000 feet, which our -party attained on this occasion, chiefly on account of the length -and tiresomeness of its approach. It is simply part of a great ridge -which branches off in a southerly direction from the main divide of -the Southern Alps. From its three peaks, all situated on this ridge, -diverge four main spurs (or _arêtes_, as Alpine men call them). From -the lowest and southernmost peak (11,787 feet) descends to the Ball -Pass the southern _arête_; from the middle peak (12,173 feet) the -eastern _arête_, descending on to an enormous buttress which separates -the Ball and Hochstetter Glaciers; from the northernmost and highest -peak (12,349 feet) two _arêtes_ diverge, the north-eastern, separating -the Hochstetter and Linda Glaciers and terminating in the ice of the -Great Plateau; and, lastly, the northern ridge, connecting with the -main divide between Mount Tasman and St. David’s Dome. A comparatively -low rock saddle in this ridge occurs between the highest peak of -Aorangi and the junction with the main divide, leading on one hand into -the Linda Glacier, and on the other to the head of the Hooker Glacier. -Aorangi is thus quite cut off from the west coast, and has, in fact, no -‘western flanks,’ as is generally supposed. - -It was an intensely hot day, and scarcely a breath stirred as Harper, -Annan, and I struck out on the now well-known route across the Ball and -Hochstetter Glaciers for the Haast Ridge, but the clear mountain air -seemed to rush into our lungs, putting health and strength into every -fibre. - -The mountains were glorious in the noonday glare, and the foliage on -their lower slopes was in its gayest height of blossom. Now and then an -avalanche would thunder down in the ice-fall or from the higher slopes -above, or the whistle of a kaka down the valley could be detected. -These and the merry tinkling of the surface streams were the only -sounds to break the spell of silence and benignant peace which seemed -to reign over all. These are the scenes which go straight to the heart -of the true nature-loving mountaineer. - -To reach the foot of the _couloir_ by which three years previously -Dixon, Inglis, and I had descended involved the usual amount of hot -scrambling up _tali_ or fans of detritus from the rocks above. Once -in the _couloir_ (which was snow-filled in places) we were not long -in reaching our old bivouac, where we deposited our first batch of -provisions, &c., our plan being to descend again that day and bring up -more supplies on the morrow. - -Coming down, Harper had an almost miraculous escape from swift and -certain destruction. We were glissading on a snow slope when a mass -of rocks broke suddenly away from above and whizzed down the slope at -a terrific rate, passing within a few inches of Harper, who did not -observe them coming, though both Annan and myself had seen the rocks -start a hundred feet or so above him, and had shouted to warn him of -their descent. - -This was a warning to us to be careful how we trusted snow _couloirs_ -during the afternoon, after the sun’s rays had done their daily -work on the crust of the snow. It is by such lessons that we in New -Zealand have learnt without the aid of Swiss guides to understand, to -appreciate, and circumvent those dangers to which the Alpine climber is -always more or less exposed. - -Another fine morning saw us off again with sleeping-bags, tent, &c., -and by noon we were up at the bivouac with three days’ supplies. Only -resting for an hour or two we pushed on upwards, intending to cross the -Great Plateau—that ice-field of which we knew, but which we seemed -fated never to reach—and find some sheltering rocks under Aorangi’s -uppermost slopes where we might spend the night. - -In a few minutes we reached Mr. Green’s sleeping-place, across which -now lay a rock weighing some tons (another warning), illustrating -forcibly the rotten state of the rocks. - -We now roped and took to the snow, which led first on to a small dip -or saddle in the ridge (sloping off on the right to the Freshfield -Glacier and on the left to the Hochstetter ice-fall), and then on to -steep snow slopes leading up to the crest of the ridge overlooking the -plateau, now about 1,000 feet above us. - -We proceeded cautiously over many half-covered crevasses, and crossing -the small dip or saddle took to the slopes beyond, now and then -taking to the rocks on our left. The climbing was somewhat dangerous, -mainly owing to the bad state of the snow, which would start away in -avalanches, or give way on the edge of a crevasse just at the moment -one put one’s weight on to spring. - -At length we gained the highest rocks, which proved very bad going and -seemed likely to bring us to a stand; but the leading man going up the -last fifty feet alone, sent down a spare rope, making one end fast -above, by whose assistance the second man followed in safety, the last -man making the swags fast to the rope below to be hauled up. In the -act of hoisting them, however, one broke away, and commenced a furious -flight down the slopes up which we had so laboriously toiled. To the -swag was attached a pannikin and the tin cistern of our lamp stove, and -at every bound we could hear the rattling of the tin as we watched the -truant bundle leaping down, and we thought of what might be our fate, -were it not for our trusty rope and axes, should we start unexpectedly -down the steep slopes. - -Still down went the swag, turning over on its ends and bounding over -crevasses in a manner which made us quite envious. At last it hovered -on a saddle. In breathless anxiety we wondered if it would stop, or -whether it would take the slope to the Hochstetter ice-fall on the -one hand, or the Freshfield on the other. One little effort more it -appeared to make, and then away it went, careering down again towards -the Freshfield ice-fall below. - -Our hopes were shattered, and we were fast giving vent to expressions -of despair when the career of the swag was suddenly cut short in a -partially filled _bergschrund_, where it was brought up in some soft -snow. - -We dared not risk staying out for the night where we were without -the lost swag, for no rocks affording any shelter were available, so -determined, after making a little further progress to get a view of the -plateau, to return to our bivouac at 7,400 feet—about 1,200 or 1,400 -feet below our present altitude—and make a fresh attempt on the next -day, weather permitting. The last man came up the rope, and we made our -way up the final slopes of snow on to that great dome of glacier which -we had so often gazed on from below. - -Ah, what a sight burst upon our astonished eyes as we gained its summit! - -It seemed the very acme of mountain glory in all the glories around us. -A few hundred feet below lay that _terra incognita_, the Great Plateau, -rounding off southwards to the Hochstetter ice-fall, bounded on the -west by the giant form of Aorangi, on the north by Mount Tasman, and -on the east by Mount Haast and the ridge of that mountain on which we -now stood. The Linda Glacier could just be observed coming round the -north-eastern _arête_ of Aorangi, and on either side of it towered up -to the heavens the two grandest mountains in New Zealand—Aorangi and -Mount Tasman; the former a lowering fortress of black rock and hanging -glaciers, avalanche-streaked throughout, the latter an ice-clad mass -with three summits, covered thickly with hanging glaciers overlapping -one another as do shingles on a housetop, looking utterly unclimbable. -Only two masses of rock are visible, over which avalanches constantly -swept. - -The sight is certainly the grandest of its kind I have seen in the -Southern Alps, and Harper tried in vain to recall its equal in -Switzerland. - -After working our way upwards along the ridge to the nearest rocks we -deposited a note of our visit in a pannikin, and building a small cairn -over it, beat a retreat. - -We experienced some difficulty in getting down the top rocks, but -eventually gained our footsteps in the snow, and following down the -route of the truant swag, recovered it from its snowy bed some 600 feet -below the point where it commenced its downward journey. - -We arrived at the bivouac just before dark, and had scarcely finished -brewing a warm drink when down came a nor’-wester upon us. - -Pitching the tent was out of the question, so piling stones upon it we -spent a miserably cold night, and by the time morning came all thoughts -of tackling Aorangi had flown, and soon we were speeding down to our -refuge at the Ball Glacier camp again. - -Thus ignominiously ended my fourth attempt to climb Mount Cook. - -In the afternoon Annan went down the valley with directions to join -us two days afterwards at the Hermitage, Harper and myself being -determined to cross the southern spur of Aorangi at the head of the -Ball Glacier, and work our way down the Hooker Glacier to the Hermitage. - - -THE FIRST CROSSING OF THE BALL PASS - -Starting on a misty morning, we climbed what we call the Ball Glacier -spur—a ridge which diverges from the main ridge of the Mount Cook -Range at a point immediately south of the Ball Pass. It was by this -ridge that Mr. Green’s first and unsuccessful attempt was made, and up -this same route I had climbed the previous season with the photographer. - -The major part of the climb is easy, good foothold being obtained on -the red sandstone rocks. In the upper part snow-fields alternate with -the rocks. The Ball Glacier lies couched in the valley on the right, -vast precipices going sheer down to it from the crest of the ridge, -whilst the slopes on the left descend to the Tasman Valley. - -After four hours of climbing we reached the main southern _arête_, -and paused on the snow saddle for lunch and rest, and to admire the -splendid prospect of the eastern faces of the mountain, and the -ever-fresh, marvellous panorama of the Tasman Glacier. - -Erecting a cairn on the rocks close by, and christening the saddle -after that father of mountaineering—John Ball—we commenced the -descent on a good snow slope towards the Hooker Glacier. All the -mountains on the western side were enveloped in mist, which, however, -fortunately hung high enough to enable us to discern the whole extent -of the Mueller Glacier and most of that of the Hooker. - -Bearing away southwards to avoid the crevassed parts of the slope -below, we were soon enjoying a merry glissade—sometimes sitting, -sometimes standing, whizzing down in a cloud of snow which curled up -from our feet and showered down upon us. - -Ah, the exhilaration of a good glissade! How you seem to fly through -the air and cleave the fast-speeding surface! How the snow hisses and -the axe grinds! How the excitement thrills you as you look out for -danger ahead, or rushing avalanches behind! There is nothing to touch -it—switchback railway, going downhill on a bicycle, skating—all are -far behind. - -In a quarter of an hour we entered a rocky gorge, and still down we -sped on the snow, winding about in and out between magnificent rock -precipices, until before another fifteen minutes had elapsed we emerged -into the Hooker Valley, having come down 4,000 feet under half an hour. - -Turning down the valley we kept to the old lateral moraine of the -Hooker Glacier (which stands 235 feet above the present level of the -glacier), and found it good walking. - -Once more, however, fortune forsook us, and an enemy in the shape of -a south-west gale, accompanied with heavy rain, met us, against which -at times we could scarcely make any headway. But struggling on we -crossed the Hooker River on the ice of the Mueller Glacier, which at -that time spanned it, and reached the Hermitage drenched to the skin at -4.30—eight hours from the Ball Glacier. - -This was the first, and up to the time of writing is the only crossing -of the Ball Pass, an excursion which ere long must become a favourite -one, for a track is just completed to the Ball Glacier, where a -two-roomed hut has been erected by the Government for the use of -tourists and mountaineers. - -A finer point of observation than the Ball Pass would be hard to find, -as it commands the most comprehensive views of the Tasman, Hooker, and -Mueller Glacier systems. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE FIRST EXPLORATION OF THE MURCHISON GLACIER - -_Hard Swagging—Erroneous Maps—The Struggle for Starvation -Saddle—Exhaustion and Hunger—Return_ - -‘Fresh fields and pastures new.’ - - -I had often cast a longing eye in the direction of the Murchison -Valley, and desired to explore those unvisited scenes which were as -yet unknown and unseen by man. We had frequently during this visit to -the district spoken of making an excursion in that direction should -Mount Cook prove too heavy metal for us. Now was our chance, and we -determined to take it. - -Leaving the Hermitage with an addition to our party in the shape of -Messrs. Wells, Timson, and Hamilton—the former two only intending to -visit the Tasman Glacier, and the latter anxious to accompany us on the -Murchison trip—we made the Ball Glacier camp, after the usual hard, -hot grind over the moraine, by evening. - -The next morning breaking fine, Wells and Timson went for an hour’s -excursion on to the glacier opposite, returning enchanted with -the grand view of the Hochstetter ice-fall and the surrounding -peaks, whilst the rest of us—viz. Harper, Hamilton, Annan, and -myself—prepared swags for a two days’ excursion up the Murchison -Valley, whose mouth could be discerned some two miles distant across -the Tasman Glacier. - -It is a fact worthy of notice that with the exception of mountaineering -parties equipped for climbing—and the numbers of these could be -counted on the fingers of both hands—Messrs. Wells and Timson were -the first two tourists to venture so far up the Tasman as our camp, -and since that time only one other has succeeded in reaching the same -point, that gentleman being his Excellency the Earl of Onslow, Governor -of the colony, whose practical penetration regarding all matters -connected with New Zealand entitles him to the respect and gratitude of -those subjects over whom he exercises vice-regal control. - -Since the visit of Lord Onslow a track which had then been formed -within two or three miles of the Ball Glacier has been completed, -making the task of reaching the spot one of comparative ease and -pleasure. Further conveniences for tourists and mountaineers in the -shape of tracks and huts are now in course of construction by a -far-seeing Government, who recognise the fact that New Zealand is fast -becoming the playground of Australasia and the Switzerland of the South. - -From careful inquiries made at the Survey Office, from Mr. Sealy—a -gentleman whose early work of exploration amongst the New Zealand -glaciers is too readily forgotten—and from the run-holders and -station hands in the district, we had every reason to believe that the -valley had only once been entered (by Mr. Burnett of Mount Cook sheep -station), and that the face of the glacier had never been reached; only -in one case could we hear of the clear ice having been seen—viz., by -a shepherd of Mr. Burnett’s from a peak of the Liebig range. - -There was therefore little or no doubt that we had a virgin field -before us, and it was with feelings of intense eagerness that we -pressed forward across the moraine-covered part of the Tasman Glacier, -and up the shingle flats of the river-bed beyond, towards that massive, -moraine-covered terminal face which fills the valley from side to side, -five miles from the eastern lateral face of the Tasman Glacier. - -The valley appeared to be a little over one mile in width. On either -hand rose up most beautifully grassed slopes thickly covered with every -variety of sub-Alpine foliage decked in the gayest height of blossom. - -What a place for an artist’s holiday! Flowers innumerable dotted -amongst the richest shades of green—lilies, celmisias in great -variety, Spaniards of many kinds with their golden and spiky heads of -various shapes and sizes, from the orange-coloured dwarf to the great -blue Spaniard with stalks occasionally ten feet in height; snow-grass -with its graceful seed-stalks gently waving in the morning zephyr, -which seemed to fan all Nature into a soft and dreamy repose—such -wealth of colour, such variety of form, such grandeur of outline in the -looming peaks above! - -Yes; here the artist might fairly lose himself in delight amongst the -subjects for his brush whilst drinking in the pure sympathy with Nature -which seems to float in the very air. - -It is no dream, this lovely valley, though it seems as one. But its -flowers go with the warm geniality of summer, and when the cold winter -comes round it dons its white garment of snow, hiding its beauties -until the hand of gentle spring once more wakens them to burst forth -anew in all their resplendent glory. - -Proceeding up the valley between these magnificent mountains we kept -moving onward in a north-easterly direction under the flanks of the -Malte Brun Range, on to whose slopes we were now and then forced by -encroaching streams from the meandering river, and we arrived early in -the afternoon at a large boulder-fan issuing from a rocky gorge above, -whence a magnificent waterfall descended. Here we boiled the ‘billy’ -and lunched, making an inspection of the scene, which is one of the -grandest beauty. - -Far up in the heavens stands out a noble peak of the Malte Brun Range, -rising out of a glacier which nestles in a basin of rock and bristles -with _séracs_ and pinnacles of blue ice pouring into the gorge below, -from whence issues an imposing waterfall of seventy or eighty feet, -sending up clouds of spray and drenching all within its immediate -vicinity. From long action of the water an almost semicircular cylinder -about ten feet in circumference has been worn into the solid rock, and -the force of water descending this strange funnel seems to drive out in -one direction a current of air which carries the spray with it. - -All around this fall the vegetation is most luxuriant, and the rocks -are covered with flowering plants in great profusion, and, in parts -where the spray falls, plants, rare elsewhere, notably the myosotis, -flourish in the abundant moisture. - -Taking a more northerly direction we came to the terminal face of the -glacier, which by aneroid measurement we made 3,640 feet—much the -same altitude as our Ball Glacier camp. The survey of the glacier has, -however, since been effected, and this point determined as 3,305 feet. - -The moraine is composed of unusually large polyhedral masses of rock, -and is 200 feet in height at the main exit of the river, which is -situated about the middle of the terminal face. - -A backward view down the valley revealed but one distant peak—Mount -Sealy—the northernmost of the Ben Ohau Range. This peak was evidently -the only one from which the clear ice of the Murchison can be seen, if -we except those of the Liebig and Malte Brun Ranges, and as none of -these peaks have been ascended, this fact probably accounts for the -Murchison Glacier, which is the second largest in New Zealand, having -lain so long unexplored. - -Proceeding up on the western side of the moraine, a new branch glacier -descending from the Malte Brun Range opened out on our left, its lower -ice forming a fine frozen cascade, whilst a waterfall of some 200 feet -descends over a rocky face from its southern and hanging portion. To -this glacier and fall we have given the name of ‘Onslow,’ in honour of -his Excellency the Earl of Onslow. - -As it was now getting dark we decided to bivouac for the night, and -selecting a bed of small gravel amongst the larger stones of the -moraine, we dined scantily on cold mutton and tea, and wriggling into -our waterproof blanket-bags were soon ready for sleep. At first all our -attempts at slumber were rendered futile by a congregation of keas, who -hopped around within a few feet of us, jabbering and swearing in their -own peculiar language at such a party of intruders on their domain. - -The night was spent in comparative comfort, for we were beginning to -feel the effects of our desperate swagging, and could go to sleep -almost anywhere. It is simply astonishing what a man can put up with, -when he has to; I have slept soundly in all sorts of queer positions, -even upon a mixture of ice and sharp stones, without a tent and with -only one thickness of blanket, when the thermometer has been several -degrees below freezing point. - -We were early aroused in the morning by the persistent attentions of -the keas; they even went the length of pecking at our sleeping-bags, -so tame and unaccustomed to man are they in these parts. We all -wanted more rest, but it was not to be thought of if we adhered to -our original plan of crossing a supposed saddle at the head of the -Murchison to the Tasman Glacier by Mount Darwin, and returning to our -head-quarters after accomplishing the circuit of the Malte Brun Range. - -We were soon off, and toiled up the small valley formed by the lateral -moraine of the glacier and the slopes of the Malte Brun Range. About -a mile or so up we observed another glacier lying in a comparatively -low saddle above us on our left, beyond this a rocky spur, and then -another and larger branch glacier which for a time we took to be the -main body of the Murchison, as indicated by the maps. We made for it -and climbed its enormous face of ice, and then we discovered our error, -for there, a mile away across the moraine, lay the clear ice of the -Murchison, and far, far away northwards, the valley extended completely -filled with a magnificent _mer de glace_ of pure white ice. We stood -transfixed, for none of us had imagined that such a grand glacier lay -beyond. - -Now we saw what was before us, and for a long time debated as to our -ability to face the work ahead. - -Hamilton was shockingly out of condition, and a sinew in my leg was -becoming painful, Nature at last rebelling against the strain to which -she was being subjected. We had a very scanty supply of provisions, and -evidently it meant spending another night out if we proceeded. - -The temptation was too much for us. We could not let this prize slip -through our fingers, so we decided to go on and put ourselves on -starvation rations rather than turn. Away we struck over the moraine, -and in an hour’s time reached the clear ice, here much crevassed. -Crossing with some difficulty we lunched on the eastern side. Casting -our eyes backward we could see splendidly all the fine peaks we had -been passing under, and could observe the continuation of the range -north-eastwards with five or six more branch glaciers, the final one -northward leading to a snow-field with a saddle at its head. This, -then, must be our saddle, we thought. But it seemed hopeless to cross -it in our tired condition and with our heavy swags. - -We set our teeth, however, and went doggedly forward, striking out on -to the clear ice again and making a north-easterly course, at each step -realising more and more the grandeur of the immense ice-field now -gradually opening out and unfolding the wealth of mountain glory which -encloses it. - -We tried in vain to identify Mount Darwin or the most northerly peaks -of the Malte Brun Range, which we knew were amongst those on our -left, and, according to our reckoning by the maps—framed from Von -Haast’s—which seems to have been compiled from guesswork as far as -this locality is concerned—we should at this time have been on the -Classen Glacier, which lies at the southern head of the Godley River, -and, in reality, was some miles north over the Liebig Range. - -Passing several branch glaciers on our left, and observing that those -on our right were assuming larger proportions, we sidled obliquely -across and made for the snow-field leading to the saddle which we had -every reason to believe led into the Tasman. Altering our course to -due north, and crossing the lower and sloppy part of the snow-field, -which was flat and quite undrained by crevasses, we were soon on snow -in miserable order, and putting on the rope we wound our way gently -upwards amongst the crevasses now beginning to appear. - -We had just six hours of daylight, and considered we could reach the -saddle in four if all went well, which would leave us two hours to find -a bivouac on the other side, provided the descent were feasible. - -We found it necessary to change leaders again and again to distribute -the arduous task of breaking steps in treacherous snow, just in the -condition to let us through knee-deep as we put our weight on it, and -we had to observe the greatest caution in crossing the crevasses, -which were very deep and almost invariably half covered, or had edges -fringed with cornices of soft snow, which at times had to be removed or -trodden down to enable us to obtain a sound footing on the hard edges -concealed beneath it. - -The grade steepened, and we all felt the hard work, more especially -Hamilton, who was sadly out of form, but stuck to his work like a -Trojan, despite the cruel punishing his swags were giving him. - -Now we had to make our way across a slope where an avalanche had -recently come, and, worse than all, a thick mist accompanied by a keen -wind began to come over our saddle. - -Still we pushed slowly upwards, resting every few minutes. Thoughts of -turning began to arise in our doubting minds. But this would not do -with the col so nearly within our grasp, and the cry was almost one -of ‘Death or victory!’ as we plodded laboriously upwards. Sometimes -we could not see fifty feet ahead, and were compelled to steer by the -compass, taking bearings of crevasses and ice blocks as we proceeded. -Now and then the mist would lift for a moment and we could catch a -glimpse of the longed-for saddle, and at last, when within a couple of -hundred feet, Annan and I cast off on a separate rope, made a rush—as -much of a rush as we could muster up—for the goal, hoping at least to -get a glimpse of the other side ere the mist became too dense. - -Hurrah! the saddle was conquered! But what lay beneath? Mist! Mist! -Nothing but a thick impenetrable mist. - -The other men arrived, and simultaneously, as if by some providential -magic, the fog began to dissipate. - -As it cleared we looked in vain for the familiar points at the head -of the Tasman, which Annan and I knew full well. ‘Where’s Darwin? -Where’s Elie de Beaumont? Where’s the Dome?’ No point in sight could be -associated with the prominent features of the Tasman. As the low-lying -portions of the mist disappeared, we observed that the glacier below -flowed to the right! The Tasman should have flowed in the opposite -direction. - -The truth flashed upon us, and a great cry of surprise went up, ‘The -Murchison! The Murchison!’ The very glacier whose middle parts we had -left three hours previously. - -Then, leaving Hamilton exhausted on the saddle, the rest of us struck -up to some rocks 300 feet higher on the right, and once more a great -shout arose as Annan and I saw coming into view the unmistakable double -top of the great Hochstetter Dome, whose proud summit we had trodden -the previous season. - -From these rocks we observed that the course of the glacier commenced -under a peak on our left (which must be Mount Darwin itself), and -running in a northerly direction for some four or five miles, turning -round the end of the spur upon which our saddle was situated, assumed a -south-westerly course. - -The true saddle between the Murchison and Tasman lay across the glacier -below, north-west. Straight ahead of us, north by west, visible over -a rocky and unnamed peak on the opposite side of the valley, lay the -Dome, then to the north another snow saddle, evidently leading into -the Whymper Glacier, and so on to the Wataroa River of the west coast. -Following round the range to the right a very fine mountain stands -boldly up; to the right of this, again, is situated yet another snow -saddle, which we concluded must lead into the Classen Glacier. - -The result of the Government survey of the Murchison Glacier, just -completed (1891), confirms our surmises regarding the topography of -this interesting district. - -We were astonished at the great length which the Liebig Range assumes, -for it bounds the glacier throughout the whole of its eastern side, -diverging from the main chain of the Southern Alps some distance north -of the Hochstetter Dome. - -Any attempt at a description of the panorama from our saddle would be -useless to convey an adequate idea of the view. Harper classed it as -similar in character to the views obtained at high altitudes in the -Bernese Oberland. An aneroid reading gave our height as about 7,900 -feet, but this was much out, as by the recent survey the height of -the saddle has been trigonometrically determined as 7,194 feet. Our -estimate of the length of the glacier at the time was twelve miles, and -the survey has now fixed it at eleven and a half, whilst the average -width is as nearly as possible one mile. - -[Illustration: MOUNTAIN LILIES (_Ranunculus Lyallii_) - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -Reaching the saddle into the Tasman was now quite out of the question, -for it would involve a descent to the valley below, the crossing of the -upper parts of the glacier, and the scaling of more snow slopes, which -appeared to us to be impracticable owing to the numerous crevasses. -In addition to this, one man was lying _hors de combat_ on the snow -suffering from exhaustion and vomiting. Evidently the only course we -could pursue was to retrace our upward route, and that as quickly as -possible, for there were but three hours of daylight left to reach a -bivouac in the rocks lower down. - -After erecting a small cairn, depositing a record of our ascent, and -giving three cheers for nobody quite knew what, we roped up and began -the descent. - -It is astonishing how one’s spirits revive when a fresh set of muscles -is brought into action, aided by the force of gravitation, and though -we had been defeated in our attempt to reach the Tasman, what did that -matter? Though we were half-dead with starvation—‘Starvation Saddle’ -is now the name of our _col_—and though a real weariness of the flesh -had taken hold of us, what matter? We had explored (I might almost say -discovered) the great glacier we had come out to see, and would be able -to settle all sorts of topographical errors in the maps, and could -speak with authority about many square miles of Alpine country hitherto -entirely unknown. - -Our spirits rose as we descended, despite our hungry and tired state, -and we once more wound our way down among the crevasses, and reaching -the glacier again made for the lowest point we could before night -closed in. But we had an hour’s cruel moraine work in the dark ere we -found a sleeping-place on a bed of lilies, where we boiled our last -drop of Liebig and divided our remaining crust of bread. - -It rained a little during the night, but we did not care for that with -our oilskin bags, and sleep visited our weary eyelids as it had never -done before. - -Hamilton’s condition had improved, but his feet were sore and he was -very weak when at 4.30 A.M. we once more set off for our home on the -glaciers—the Ball Glacier camp. The prospect of boiled rice and fresh -chops lured us on as we made our way down the valley, and putting forth -our last remaining energy we made the ever-welcome refuge in eight -hours, Harper, who had most left in him, going on ahead and preparing a -substantial feed for the stragglers behind. - -Oh, that tin plate of rice, _and_ those chops, _and_ that tea! - -How came an exhibition of pluck rarely seen. After two hours’ rest -Hamilton said he must reach the Hermitage that night; despite our -dissuasions he determined to go on, and Annan generously volunteered -to accompany him. These two men actually reached the Hermitage that -evening at 8.30. It was the pluckiest day’s work I have ever seen done -in the mountains. - -Harper and I came down next day in a snow storm, with fifty-pound swags. - -Many people seem to think that a visit to the Alpine regions -necessarily entails contact with very cold weather, even in the summer -time. This is quite an erroneous idea, for on this occasion the -thermometer readings at the lower camp varied from 42° Fahr. in the -morning to 72° in the evening, and I should think that even during -the coldest night the instrument did not register much lower than the -first-named figure. We frequently went about in shirt and knickers -only, and the usual complaint is of the heat, not of the cold. Some -men suffer a good deal of discomfort from sunburn. I myself am a victim -in this respect. It is the upper and freshly fallen snow which is so -ruinous to the epidermis, the reflection from the new and unmelted -crystals being so great as to cause the skin to assume a dark chocolate -colour even during one-day’s work amongst it. - -Sometimes blisters form, after which the skin puckers up and eventually -peels off in patches. The noses of persons possessed of aquiline -features are usually a study in themselves after a day or two’s -exposure on new snow. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -FIFTH ATTEMPT TO CLIMB AORANGI - - _Avalanches_—_The bivouac again_—_First attempt repulsed_—_Second - attempt_—_The Great Plateau_—_The Linda Glacier_—_Hard work - step-cutting_—_The terrible couloirs_—_Victory at last_—_Descent by - lantern-light_—_Back to civilisation_ - - Are not the mountains, waves, and skies a part - Of me and of my soul, as I of them? - Is not the love of these deep in my heart - With a pure passion? - - -Whymper was eight seasons climbing the Matterhorn. Dent made -innumerable attempts ere he conquered the Aiguille du Dru—why should -we despair about Aorangi? - -We certainly were at a great disadvantage as compared with Swiss -mountaineers; we had to begin at the very bottom rung of the ladder, -having no trained guides. But I am confident that if we had been as -many years climbing with guides as we have been without them we should -be far less proficient mountaineers. - -[Illustration: LOOKING ACROSS THE MURCHISON GLACIER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -Probably our case is a unique one, and I doubt if there exists another -instance where two or three novices—at any rate at ice work—have -banded themselves together and gone systematically into heavy Alpine -work ‘right away’ (as the Americans say), doing all their own -porterage and guide work from the start. We learned fast from that best -of masters—‘hard experience.’ - -[Illustration: AORANGI FROM THE TASMAN GLACIER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -Had we been consistently following in the footsteps of trained guides -we should not have concerned ourselves about this, that, and the other, -but would have left everything to the men of experience, simply being -towed about in their wake; whereas we have been obliged to train and -exercise all those qualities which a guide possesses, perforce. - -Naturally, too, a colonial life is more calculated to teach -self-reliance and independence, and from our earliest schoolboy days we -have been accustomed to rough work on the hills, pig-hunting, &c., and -in camp life on all sorts of hare-brained expeditions. I have, indeed, -been in many an awkward place amongst rocks when out on the foot-hills, -and must have—perhaps unconsciously—acquired many of those qualities -which denote the cragsman. - -Want of fixedness of purpose had often lured us away from the peak, and -temptations in glacier expeditions had thwarted our determination. I -felt confident, however, if Dixon and I got together again we should -make a good fight of it with the mountain, for we had learnt to place -confidence in each other in many rough trips, and Dixon was a man after -my own heart for determination. - -On December 1, 1890, then, for the last time Dixon and I found -ourselves on the way to the Mount Cook district; we reached Burke’s -Pass that evening in an express waggon which contained besides -ourselves two small Rob Roy canoes, it being our intention to navigate -the Waitaki River from Aorangi to the sea—should we not previously -leave our lifeless bodies at the foot of some precipice or frozen in a -crevasse, as many of our friends prophesied. - -December 2 saw us crossing the Tasman River in our canoes ten miles -below its exit from the glacier, and as it was in flood and running -full ten knots, with waves four or five feet high in the rapids, we -had an exciting time of it, yet managed to reach the Hermitage side in -safety, but not without shipping a good deal of water. This was the -first case of a boat of any kind being on these rushing waters, and our -good friends in all directions prophesied dire disaster to what they -were pleased to term our ‘rash venture.’ We are getting quite used to -these consolations of our friends, who seem quite disappointed that we -do not afford them some sensational obituary matter in the daily papers. - -Again the faithful Annan was at hand, and greeted us at the Hooker wire -rope with the pleasing intelligence that our camp at the Ball Glacier -was fixed and our swags conveyed there. The Government surveyor (Mr. -Brodrick) and his party were at hand too, and working their way to the -Murchison Glacier to make a survey in continuation of their work on the -Tasman; we spent the following night in comfort at their lower camp, -one mile above the terminal face of the Tasman Glacier, to which point -a horse track had already been formed through the scrub. - -[Illustration: THE MURCHISON GLACIER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -Again we carried our swags up that cruel piece of walking to the -Ball Glacier camp, stopping half-way for lunch at our customary -resting-place—‘The Cove’—a snug little nook in a rock-face where a -rill from the mountain side offers cool refreshment to the weary -swagger. - -Friday morning, December 5, found us early astir, and making up swags -of blanket-bags, tent, tinned meats, biscuits, chocolate, raisins, -prunes, rice, oatmeal, Liebig’s Extract, and all such necessaries -as might ensure sustenance and a certain degree of comfort at a -high bivouac. Seeing that our boots were well nailed, our ice-axes -and snow-goggles in good order, we struck out across the Ball and -Hochstetter Glaciers and reached the foot of our climb—the southern -termination of the ridge of Mount Haast. Here we deposited a small -supply of provisions as a standby, in case we should be driven back by -bad weather or by some unforeseen cause. - -The day was very warm, and as we toiled slowly up under the weight of -our heavy swags (we were carrying enough provisions to last us for some -days) the perspiration streamed from every pore, and the sun’s rays -seemed to penetrate with singular fierceness. - -Soon we came to the lower termination of the new and unmelted winter -snow in the _couloirs_ or ditches between the rock ridges, and as -the day advanced the hissing avalanches came down these slopes with -increasing frequency, and falling stones and rocks now and again passed -close by us. The snow being in such a loose and slushy condition it was -imperative that we should avoid it as much as possible, but climb as we -would we could not help occasionally crossing a snow-filled _couloir_, -and this had to be accomplished with much celerity and caution. - -Annan was particularly anxious concerning the ‘shocking state of -repair’ of these lower slopes, and seemed to lose his nerve entirely, -though he is accustomed to work on the higher beats in mustering, &c., -and he declared his intention of going no farther than the bivouac at -7,400 feet, which we reached in the afternoon. We at once saw that it -would be useless and dangerous to persuade him to join us in the final -assault, for if his self-reliance failed on these lower slopes, what -would the state of his nerve be on the upper ice work where so much -step-cutting would be necessary? Dixon and I knew that we ought not -to try to ascend the peak alone, that such work as we—two guideless -amateurs—were about to attempt, would not be looked upon with favour -by such a body as the English Alpine Club; but we were so tired of -knuckling under to Aorangi that we were becoming desperate, and we -decided to try conclusions without a third man. - -Two hours of excavation work removed two feet of snow and eighteen -inches of ice from our bivouac, revealing the faithful ‘Aurora’ stove -and sundry potted meats left twelve months before by Harper and myself, -and soon we had the tent pitched and were snug for the night. - -At three o’clock on the Saturday morning Dixon and I crawled out of our -sleeping-bags, and by 4 A.M. we were on the snow slopes, determined to -make a vigorous attack upon the peak which had so long defied us. - -Two hours on fairly good snow slopes and a scramble over a nasty -slab-like face of rock, and once again the plateau, and that glorious -scene of Aorangi and Tasman, were before us. - -But the wind had risen quickly and was blowing a gale from the -south-west—the cold quarter. To face such a wind for any length of -time, or to attempt to climb Aorangi against it, would be simple -madness, so we turned and ignominiously fled to the refuge of our -bivouac, 1,200 feet below, which we reached at seven o’clock, having -been but three hours absent. - -We then sent Annan down, as we were keeping him from his work in the -lower country, telling him to leave word with the survey party that if -we did not arrive back at the Ball Glacier by Monday night something -would probably have gone amiss with us. - -During the day the gale blew itself out, and next morning at 3.45 we -were in our steps of the day before, reaching the plateau in an hour -and a half. The morning sun lit up the peaks with a rosy glow, soon -his piercing beams forced us to put on the goggles, while the crust of -the snow began to soften under the great power of penetration which -the rays possess in the rarefied air. This forced us to plod onward in -slushy snow as we headed right for the Linda Glacier, which we could -see rounding the point of the north-eastern _arête_ of our mountain. - -On our right rose Mount Tasman clothed in ice, from which during -the night an immense avalanche had descended. We walked close to -its furthest point of motion as it lay stretched out on the level -snow-field like a gigantic breakwater, and found it to be 300 paces in -width; Dixon estimated that it covered from forty to fifty acres. - -We now put on the rope, as crevasses began to appear in the gently -rising slopes to the Linda Glacier. On our left we thought that the -north-eastern ridge looked practicable, but deemed it better to rely on -a route chosen by so able a mountaineer as Ulrich Kaufmann, and kept on -our course for the Linda Glacier, taking ten-minute spells at leading -and breaking steps in the soft and slushy snow, and winding our way -amongst ever-increasing crevasses in search of snow bridges over which -we would cautiously crawl. - -Now we would have a stretch of gently rising snow, then a crevasse or -perhaps a _bergschrund_, followed by a steep ascent for 100 or 200 -feet, then a divergence to one side or the other to avoid a chaos of -_séracs_ or blocks of tumbled and broken ice; and so on, hour after -hour. About noon we had gained a considerable elevation above the -plateau and were well round the corner on the Linda Glacier. Into this -elevated valley the sun poured down through a rarefied atmosphere on -to slopes on either hand which reflected all the light and heat. The -glare was something dreadful, and before midday our faces and hands -had assumed the customary chocolate colour, and the skin was literally -broiled off me; Dixon did not suffer to such an extent. The heat was -most intense, though not of the enervating kind which one feels at -lower altitudes. - -Viewed from this quarter Aorangi presents a totally different form than -from any other, and we began to be sanguine about accomplishing our -task. I was in possession of notes and sketches of the route kindly -sent me by Mr. Green, and these were of material assistance to us. - -Before us lay the final peak with its capping of ice. From the summit, -now in full view, descended in a north-westerly direction to the right -a steep rocky _arête_ connecting with the ridge leading on to Mount -Tasman. From the lower parts of these rocks steep ice slopes streaked -with marks from falling rocks descend to the upper portions of the -Linda Glacier, bounded all along their lower termination by an immense -_bergschrund_ which severs them from immediate contact with the glacier -itself. - -On the left of the summit slopes the north-eastern _arête_, consisting -of a ridge of alternate knife-edges of ice and _gensdarmes_ or towers -of rock. The northern side or face of this ridge descending to the -Linda Glacier is composed of very steep slopes of ice set with three -immense masses of red sandstone rocks, with two ice-filled _couloirs_ -or ditches between them. Up these two _couloirs_ lay our route. We -thought, however, that by leaving the glacier and taking to the crest -of the ridge we could improve on the route, but soon found that the -change was a mistake, and so struck back on to our old course up the -middle of the glacier, the final slopes of which were very steep and -exposed to the chance of avalanches from either hand. - -It seemed a hopeless task this plunging through soft snow hour after -hour, and it was nearly one o’clock ere we gained the edge of the -big _bergschrund_ and with difficulty discovered a sound enough snow -bridge. Shortly before this an incident occurred in crossing one of -these snow bridges which brought forcibly before our minds the serious -nature of the work in which we were engaged. I—the lighter man by two -stone—had crawled over in safety, and planting myself well in the soft -snow above, was taking in the slack of the rope as Dixon followed, -when suddenly he went through up to his armpits and was dangling in -space, held up by a thin crust of snow and by the rope from above. -I pulled with the strength of despair, and Dixon struggled till he -secured a hold somehow on the other lip of the crevasse and got out. - -That sort of thing is all very well to look back upon and talk over -afterwards, but I am not likely to forget for many a long day the -sensation of holding up a thirteen-stone man under such circumstances, -and I must say that I should have been much easier in my mind if we had -had such a man as Emil Boss or Ulrich Kaufmann on one end of the rope. - -Immediately after crossing the big _bergschrund_ step-cutting -commenced; and from this point upwards every step, other than those on -rocks, had to be cut in hard ice. - -It is no easy task after climbing steadily for nine hours in soft snow -to set to work and cut steps, especially when one knows that a slip -must on no account be made, for with two men only on the rope it would -mean a sudden descent to the crevasses or precipices (as the case may -be) below, and our certain destruction. - -An hour’s steady work and we gained the foot of the lowest rocks, -which were found to be quite unscalable. We then sidled round the base -of these rocks to the left and commenced cutting steps up the first -_couloir_, keeping close into the rocks on our right, on which we -could get an occasional hand-grip. Ice blocks were continually coming -down from the broken masses overhanging the top of the _couloir_, but -luckily none struck us. The descent of an ice block in such steep -ice slopes is something to remember. First a rattle above, and then -‘swish, swish’ as the first leaps begin, followed by a ‘whir-r-r-r’ -and a ‘hum-m-m-m’ as, like a flash of light, a spinning and -ricochetting object goes by and is lost to sight over the brink of -the precipice below, or perchance is detected spending its momentum -on the soft snow slopes 1,000 feet down. - -These falls of ice on the upper slopes are not like the hissing -avalanches, which sometimes even _crawl_ down the lower snow slopes, -but come down with the speed of light, and are calculated to strike -terror into the heart of the stoutest-nerved climber. - -We crossed the _couloir_ near its head, partly on ice and partly on -rocks, amid the gravest peril from showers of ice, and took to the -rocks on our left, which were both dangerous and difficult, mainly -owing to their being here and there coated with ice. Soon they became -quite inaccessible, and we were again forced towards our left on to -the ice slopes in the second _couloir_, and here we found the ice even -harder, and we could only make an impression on it with the spike end -of our axes. To add to the difficulty, the angle of ascent became -steeper, inclining in places to about 60° from the horizontal. - -We negotiated this _couloir_ in a similar manner to that below, but -water trickling from the overhanging rocks formed awkward hummocks of -ice on the slope close to the rocks, over which we thought it almost -impossible to climb, and to go out into the middle of the _couloir_ was -impossible, owing to falling ice. - -Time was quickly passing, and we had a terrible fight to reach the -head of the _couloir_. The rocks now shaded us from the sun’s rays, -and soon our hats, coats, and the rope were frozen as stiff as boards, -while the cold was so intense as to cause the skin of our hands to -adhere to the steel of the ice-axes. - -It seemed now more than ever a hopeless task to reach the final -ice-cap, which we knew could not be far above us; but we silently and -doggedly cut away, and at length were rewarded by finding the rocks -on our right practicable; taking to them we were soon on their crest, -and the ice-cap of the mountain lay straight before us. An easy bit of -rock-climbing led up to the slopes, which we found to be covered with a -peculiar form of lumpy and frozen drifted snow. At the top of the rocks -we looked around in vain for Mr. Green’s cairn, with his handkerchief -and Kaufmann’s matchbox, left on the occasion of their ascent in March -1882. Doubtless they have either been long since swept away by falling -ice or were buried in the terminal of the ice slope, which in December -would encroach farther down upon the rocks than in March. - -Dixon now counselled a retreat, arguing that we had virtually overcome -all the difficulties and had only the final and easy slope to cut up; -but I persuaded him to stay a little longer and make a push for it, or -at least as much of a push as we were capable of making. - -[Illustration: AORANGI: THE HIGHEST PEAK - -[_From a Water-colour Sketch_] - -It was half-past five. Four hours and a half we had been toiling from -the head of the Linda Glacier, thirteen hours and a half from our -bivouac, without any halt to speak of. A wind began to blow from the -north-west, adding fresh cause for anxiety about the descent. One thing -was certain—if we wanted to get down alive we should have to reach -the Linda Glacier again before dark. - -We worked as hard as we were able at step-cutting for another fifteen -minutes, but only made slow progress; yet there was the cornice, just -away to the right, the crest of the ridge to the left, and the top -scarcely a stone’s throw above, with no difficulty in the way. What -would we not have given for another hour of daylight? How could we turn -away when so near to a complete victory over our old foe? - -Dixon again suggested turning, and I could not do otherwise than -defer to his advice, for already we were caught in a trap, and -should bad weather come upon us—and the wind and cold were fast -increasing—before we reached the Linda Glacier again the probabilities -were that we never should have returned from the giddy heights of the -great Aorangi, the ‘Sky-piercer.’ - -The height of the mountain is 12,349 feet; our aneroid read at our -turning-point 12,300, and we reckoned the summit to be 140 feet -above us. The slight error in the reading of the instrument would be -accounted for by the impending change of weather. - -The view is magnificently comprehensive. Looking northwards we could -see clear over the top of our giant neighbour, Mount Tasman (11,475 -feet). On the western side, the ocean, but twenty miles distant, was -covered by a mantle of low-lying clouds creeping into the bays and -inlets of the coast, studded here and there with islanded hill-tops, -and stretching away to what seemed a limitless horizon on the west. A -streak of blue ocean showed through the cloud mantle near Hokitika, -seventy miles northwards. - -North-eastwards the glorious array of the Southern Alps extended, -presenting a panorama of such magnificence and comprehensiveness -that it defies any attempt at description. It is one of those vast -pictures which are indelibly impressed upon the memory—one of those -overpowering examples of Nature’s sublimity which seem to move a man’s -very soul and call him to a sense of his own littleness. - -Close under us lay the scenes of all our joys and sorrows of the past -five years: the Tasman Glacier, encircled by those splendid peaks -and snow-fields whose forms we had learned to know and love so well; -further afield lay the Liebig Range, and, showing over this, Mount -Jukes and his attendant satellites of rocky peaks. Beyond this again, -far, far away in the blue and indefinite east, we could distinguish the -hills of Banks Peninsula, close to our homes near Christchurch, whilst -we could imagine that the blue haze distinguishable there was indeed -the eastern ocean, 120 miles distant. - -It will, of course, be said that we did not make the complete ascent -of the mountain. Be that so; neither does Mr. Green claim that honour, -though for all practical purposes to be on the ice-cap of Aorangi means -the same thing as being on the top. Mr. Green’s highest point must, -according to his sketches, have been as nearly as possible 100 feet -above ours. - -But we could not spare time to moralise and rest as we should like to -have done, for it was imperative that the terrible ice slopes should be -descended before the light failed, and at a few minutes to six we began -to go down backwards in our steps, taking a firm hold with our axes at -every step. - -This going down is a fearful strain on the nerves, and requires the -greatest steadiness and caution. In hurrying down the easy rocks we -missed a mark on a snow patch which Dixon had made to denote the right -route, and this mistake at the outset caused us nearly half an hour’s -delay before we found the right spot from which to leave the crest of -the rocks. Dixon led down the rocks and I followed, every now and then -taking a turn round any prominent projection with the rope and easing -him down, whilst he in turn secured a good hold and took in the slack -as I came down. - -Bad as it had been coming up the top _couloir_, it was infinitely worse -going down, for what was trickling water on the upward journey was now -solid ice, and many of the steps were filled with re-frozen chips of -ice from the steps we had cut above, and these had to be cleaned out -before we could get a secure foothold. - -Cutting steps _up_ is one thing, and cutting them _down_ another, for -on a steep slope one cannot turn round face downwards to get at one’s -work, which in the case of going up-hill lies convenient to the hand. - -How we did get down without the fatal slip which I was momentarily -expecting would be made by one or the other of us I never could quite -understand. - -The rocks below the topmost _couloir_ were negotiated and the lower -_couloir_ reached. This was not so difficult to descend, and the effect -of the frost was such as to prevent such a continual shower of ice -blocks from above, thus minimising one prominent danger. - -The lower parts of the _couloir_ were reached, and here are situated -the rocks which form the ledge upon which with Boss and Kaufmann Mr. -Green stood out for the night. There are several ledges accessible, -but Mr. Green’s party must have been upon one of the higher, for on -some of the lower ledges there is room for a dozen men to stand or -even lie down, though scarcely space enough for a circus or Wild West -show, as Dixon humorously suggested. The light was now fast failing, -and we strained every nerve to reach the big _bergschrund_ below before -darkness was upon us. - -We were just in time and that was all, and the frail snow bridge was -passed by our sliding over on our backs; I, the lighter man, led, and -Dixon followed as steady as a rock—not a Mount Cook Rock, but the -proverbial one. - -We had now been seventeen hours with every nerve and muscle constantly -in action, and yet, as the darkness set in and the awful glare of -the sun had left us, we began to freshen up, and lighting one of our -Austrian climbing-lanterns we retraced our footsteps of the morning, -being most careful never to deviate from them. Soon it became very -dark, for there was no moon, and we could but dimly distinguish the -ghostly forms of the white-robed peaks which shut us in on all hands. - -Hour after hour we plodded on. On one occasion we were brought up by -the crevasse into which Dixon had nearly fallen in the morning; it had -opened wider during the day, and only after walking along its line of -fracture in both directions for half an hour did we discover a bridge -which seemed sufficiently strong. We crossed in our usual way, sliding -over at full length, and putting some weight on to our axe-handles -laid lengthways on the snow to distribute the weight as much as -possible. - -As the night wore on, the crust of the snow became harder, and after -passing through that most unpleasant crusted stage when it will bear -until all the weight is put on one foot, became quite pleasant to walk -upon, and over the lower part of the Linda Glacier and across the -plateau we made a fair pace. As we reached the rise off the plateau on -to the Haast Ridge the wind increased in violence, and we had great -difficulty in keeping our lanterns (two of which we now kept going) -alight. - -The crest of the ridge was gained, and the descent of the dangerous -snow slopes to the bivouac, 1,200 or 1,400 feet below, commenced. We -were soon in trouble again amongst _bergschrunds_ and crevasses, and on -two occasions, in going down and feeling for the next step behind, I -found on showing a light that my _hind_ leg was dangling in a crevasse! - -I must not weary you, dear reader, with further monotonous descriptions -of crossing these deadly enemies of the mountaineer, suffice it to say -that after an exasperating hunt on the steep slopes and in the dark for -our bivouac—the candles being just finished—we finally discovered it -at 2.45 A.M., an hour before daylight, having been twenty-three hours -constantly hard at work without any halt worthy the name. - -Sleeping soundly till 9 A.M. we made up our swags, and by 11 A.M. were -on the downward route again for the Ball Glacier camp. - -It was quite a wrench to leave our friendly rock, which had become -a haven of rest and refuge to us on this upper beat. Five nights -have I spent under its protection at different times, and as often -have I arisen with the early morn to gaze upon those vast and sublime -solitudes of Nature so grandly unfolded to view. From this little -home—out of which if one stepped one had to be careful not to lose -one’s footing and make a rapid descent to the Hochstetter Glacier on -one hand or to the Freshfield on the other—I have seen the rosy tints -of the newly-born day creep downwards from the hoary snow-caps of the -mountains, and when evening drew on have watched the afterglow envelop -all in its warm embrace, even black rocks turning to a deep crimson -which seemed to pervade the higher peaks ere the black and cold night -once again grasps them in his icy hold. - -Here had tired limbs been laid to rest whilst wearied minds dreamed -dreams of success and hope, gaining renewed vigour with the morning -light to go forth afresh into new struggles and enjoyments. Here -in the heart of great Nature’s solitudes the thoughts flew back to -homes of comfort and of love. What wonder that we should have formed -associations with such a spot? - -The Ball Glacier camp was reached at 4.30 P.M., where we found Mr. -Sladden of the Survey party anxiously awaiting our arrival, with that -forethought which shows the kindly feeling and consideration for others -that characterises men of worth in these outlandish parts. - -That evening Dixon went across with Sladden to the Survey camp in -the Murchison Valley, leaving me to wait for an expected friend from -Christchurch. - -Here I was quite alone amongst the mountains, with plenty of time -to muse over the events of the past few days and to let my wandering -thoughts fly back even further, to the struggles of the past five years -whilst attempting to conquer Aorangi. - -What is the climber’s reward for all his trouble? Why does he climb? -Who can tell? - -Is it renown he struggles for? No; I am convinced that is a very -infinitesimal motive. For mercenary ends? No; there is no financial -harvest to reap. - -I have often tried to think why men undergo such labour and hardship, -but cannot come to any definite conclusion. To overcome set tasks -(‘pure cussedness’ the Americans would say) is one reason (after -once putting one’s hand to the plough). To gain physical and mental -strength, to raise and purify the mind in Nature’s great school, are -both potent reasons. But, above all, there is some mysterious influence -pervading all true mountaineers—a mountain fever, a close kinship with -Nature (call it what you will), a hidden impulse that grows on a man -who has once felt what it is to taste the sweets of climbing and to -enjoy the fascinations of the world above the snow-line. - -My friend did not arrive, so I made my way over to Mr. Brodrick’s -Survey camp on the Murchison, walking through a thick mist, and -steering across the Tasman by the aid of a compass—a distance of seven -miles, or three hours’ walking from camp to camp. - -Here I found Cooper—Messrs. Wheeler & Son’s photographic operator—who -was down securing views of the district for a lecture which I was to -deliver before the Australasian Association for the Advancement of -Science. - -It was our intention to make a two days’ excursion up the Murchison -Glacier with Cooper, but showery weather put a veto on our plans, -and we were fain to be content with a short excursion to the Onslow -Glacier, where some exposures were effected. - -Leaving Mr. Brodrick’s hospitable quarters on December 10, by the 12th -we were again at the Hermitage. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -ON SOME OF THE PHENOMENA OF GLACIERS, WITH SPECIAL REGARD TO THOSE OF -NEW ZEALAND - - _The cause of glaciers_—_Formation and - structure_—_Motion_—_Moraines_: _Lateral_, _medial_, _and - terminal_—_‘Surface’ moraines_—_Crevasses_—_Moulins_—_Glacier - cones_—_Glacier tables_—_Surface torrents_—_Avalanches_—_Cornices_ - - -In a work of this nature it may not be out of place to briefly describe -some of those interesting features and phenomena which accompany the -world above the snow-line. - -Here is a quotation from a recent review of Professor Heim’s work[2] by -a prominent member of the English Alpine Club:— - -‘Some thirty years ago a systematic _résumé_ of all that was known up -to that date about existing glaciers appeared in the work of Professor -Albert Mousson, “Die Gletscher der Jetztzeit,” since which, with -perhaps the exception of Major Hüber’s “Les Glaciers,” no attempt -has been made to collect into a focus the light which numerous able -observers and theorists have subsequently thrown upon the question. The -intricacy of the problem has, indeed, increased almost in proportion to -our enlarged knowledge of its conditions; and in spite of the labours -of a large and very distinguished body of investigators, not only do -many important points remain matters of dispute, but the very materials -for a complete solution are still wanting.’ - -[Footnote 2: _Handbuch der Gletscherkunde_, von Dr. Albert Heim, Zürich -(Stuttgart: Verlag von J. Engelhorn, 1885, 18 francs.)] - - -CAUSE OF GLACIERS - -The joint cause of glaciers is precipitation and cold. A low -temperature alone can do nothing without moisture, and this fact -quickly disposes of the popular notion that glaciers invariably exist -in cold countries. Thibet, for instance, and also some parts of Arctic -North America are destitute of ice streams, though eternal cold may be -said to reign supreme in these parts. - -Imagine for a moment the higher mountains clear of snow and ice, and -then watch for the formation of a glacier. Snow falls and fills up all -the valleys and gullies, avalanches descend from the higher parts, and -a great accumulation gathers in all hollows. By constant repetition -of snow-falls (always provided a greater quantity is deposited than -can be melted by the sun’s rays and by the natural warmth of the -earth’s crust) great pressure is put upon the lower portions by the -superincumbent accumulation, and aided by the infiltration of water and -refreezing (or ‘regelation’ as the correct term is), a large body of -ice is formed which at once begins to move down the valleys containing -it. - - -GLACIER ICE - -Glacier ice is not like the solid blue ice on the surface of water, -but consists of granules joined together by an intricate network of -capillary water-filled fissures. - -In exposed sections and upon the surface of the ice can be observed -a ‘veined’ or ‘banded’ structure—veins of a denser blue colour -alternating with those of a lighter shade containing air bubbles. - -The cause of this peculiar structure has been the subject of much -theorising amongst investigators, but hitherto I believe the greatest -authorities consider that the explanation of the phenomenon is yet -wanting. - - -GLACIER MOTION - -The motion of glaciers is yet another bone of contention, but it -is generally admitted that the cause of it is to be found mainly -in gravitation, and is also partially accounted for by the strange -property of ‘viscosity’ in what appears to the casual observer to be -nothing more or less than a rigid solid. - -Recently observations for ascertaining the rate of progress of the -Tasman, Murchison, Hooker, and Mueller Glaciers have been made by the -New Zealand Government Survey Department. Some of the results were -embodied in a paper by Mr. J. H. Baker, the Chief Surveyor of the -Provincial District of Canterbury, and will appear in the ‘Transactions -of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science’ for -1891. At the late meeting of that body a committee was appointed to -further these investigations, and a sum of 25_l._ voted for the aid of -the same. - -Before long, therefore, there will be put before the scientific public -reliable measurements of the motion of several of the largest and -least-known glaciers in temperate regions. - - -MORAINES - -There is a remarkable feature of the glaciers of this country which -stamps them as unique in one respect—I refer to the very extensive -moraines. I write feelingly of this, for my acquaintance with them has -been a very close one, and they have impressed me very deeply—in more -ways than one. - -The large glaciers of which I have written in this work are completely -moraine-covered over their lower parts. - - -‘SURFACE’ MORAINES - -Moraines may be divided into four sections: ‘Lateral’ moraines, -fringing the sides of the glaciers, their outlying portions often being -‘dead’—that is, at present unmoved by the action of the ice, and -forming banks, as it were, for the ice stream to flow between; ‘medial’ -moraines, which begin at the junction of two streams of ice and often -continue for many miles to the terminal face; ‘terminal’ moraines, -formed by the depositing of detritus at the melting point or end of the -glacier; and, lastly, ‘surface’ moraines (so called by Professor Hutton -of Christchurch, N.Z.), which are the combined accumulations of the -first two divisions in the lower parts of the glacier. - -It is these ‘surface’ moraines that are such a characteristic feature -of the glaciers situate on the eastern side of the chain in New -Zealand. Of those on the western side I am not able to speak with -authority, never having visited them myself; but I understand that -they do not carry such a large quantity of detritus as those of the -eastern slopes. - -This disparity remains to be accounted for and awaits an explanation. -I have a theory of my own upon the subject, which, however, as yet I -would not like to put too strongly forward. - -On both sides of Mount Cook, on Mount De la Bêche (ten miles further -along the chain), and on a peak just north of the Hochstetter Dome (ten -miles still further north) I have observed enormous exposed sections of -the rock strata, which in each case dip at a steep angle _from east to -west_, presenting slab faces, not easily disturbed by the action of the -frost, to the westward, but broken and fast denuding faces (‘basset’ -faces, as they are geologically termed) to the eastward. I am hoping at -some future time to further investigate this interesting subject. - -As the western glaciers, however, must descend steeper valleys than the -eastern, I make no doubt that their rate of progress will be eventually -ascertained to be greater than that of the latter, and this would -militate largely against an accumulation of moraine _upon the ice_. - - -THE SURFACE OF A GLACIER - -All sorts of queer notions as to what the surface of a glacier is like -exist. Indeed I have often heard people inquire if it would be possible -_to skate upon it_! - -Let us for a moment imagine ourselves at the head of the great Tasman -Glacier, 8,600 feet above sea-level. All around us is snow, either -freshly fallen or merging into _névé_. We begin to walk down, and -at first, upon the steeper slopes, cross a few large crevasses and -_bergschrunds_ by means of snow bridges; then, as the incline becomes -less steep, we walk for six miles or so upon a smooth surface of -_névé_, or perchance knee-deep in fresh snow, and scarcely a crevasse -exists. At the beginning of the great turn we gradually leave the -_névé_ and find ourselves upon hard, white ice, and soon transverse -crevasses appear; these are a little further on cut by longitudinal -crevasses forming the surface into huge squares, not flat on the top, -but hummocky. A perfect network of crevasses cuts up the whole of the -surface, but those parts on the outside of the curve are infinitely -more disturbed than those on the inside, owing to the tension put upon -them by the faster rate at which they have to move. After rounding the -turn the glacier again consolidates and few crevasses appear, only the -surface is covered with old wounds—if I may coin such a term—from the -rents which have occurred at the turn, and presents a very undulating -appearance. The little gullies are formed into watercourses and -intersect the glacier in all directions. On our right, now, is the -medial moraine formed by detritus from Mount De la Bêche, brought down -partly by the Tasman and partly by the Rudolf Glaciers, and it stands -up 100 feet or so above the surface of the clear ice on either side of -it, owing to the protection from the sun’s rays afforded by it to the -ice beneath, so preventing ‘ablation’ or waste going on so quickly. We -follow down for another four or five miles, and then cross this moraine -(which has in the meantime joined that on the northern side of the -Hochstetter Glacier) on to the Hochstetter on our right. - - -SURFACE TORRENTS AND MOULINS - -We are now immediately below the great ice-fall, and the surface -of the glacier presents an appearance not unlike the back of some -enormous caterpillar wrinkled transversely by crevasses, which close -up as we proceed downwards, and furrowed longitudinally by two large -or main watercourses whose icy banks are in places 100 feet above -their respective torrents. These two small rivers are fed from -every direction by minor watercourses, and a mile or two further -down discharge all their contents into crevasses and _moulins_, or -water-shafts in the ice. - - -GLACIER TABLES AND CONES—THE ACTION OF WARMTH - -The locality of the glacier on which we now are is very interesting, -for Nature’s mills are here seen at work day by day. Glacier -tables—blocks of rock perched upon pedestals of ice formed by the -protection from the action of the sun’s warmth—are of frequent -occurrence. Glacier cones—heaps of sand and small fragments of rock -raised by a similar agency (after having been washed to one spot by -water)—are in places all around us. Then, strange and contradictory -as it may seem, we see thousands of holes, each with a stone at the -bottom and filled with the bluest of blue water, formed also in the -first place by the rays of the sun warming the stone and causing it to -sink in the ice. It is well-known in physics that water at 39° Fahr. -is at its heaviest, and as soon as the warm stone—the dark colour of -the stone having absorbed more heat than the surrounding ice—begins -to sink the warmer water follows it, whilst that in the neighbouring -temperature of 32° Fahr. rises to the surface and becomes in its turn -re-warmed, and so on. This peculiar current often bores the holes in -the ice to a depth of many feet, and is only checked by a preponderance -of cold. It is the larger stones, therefore, which rise upon the ice, -and the smaller ones which sink. - - -‘SURFACE’ AND ‘TERMINAL’ MORAINES - -We walk on down the ice stream, and soon the moraines on either hand -close in upon us and we find ourselves on a mere wedge of ice, at the -point of which we step on to the ‘surface’ moraine. Here the swearing -begins, and it lasts right on to the terminal face four or five miles -below, for it is one continual repetition of walking on loose and -tumbling rocks, up one hillock, along a ridge, jumping from - - Rock to rock with many a shock, - -down another hillock, now and then starting a whole avalanche of -many-sided and sharp-edged stones down a treacherous slope of ice, -which we take for a surface deeply covered and sound of footing. - -Skate on the surface of a glacier? - -‘Not much!’ (as the Colonials say). - - -AVALANCHES - -Very strange notions also exist amongst the uninitiated as to the -nature of avalanches. The popular idea of an avalanche is derived from -heartrending accounts of great sweepings away and annihilation of whole -villages, and few of the general run of people seem to realise that in -Alpine work almost any little descending mass of rock, snow, or ice is -dignified by the name of avalanche. Snow avalanches are most frequent -after fresh falls of snow followed immediately by warm weather, and -after a little experience amongst the mountains one soon learns to -detect their customary tracks. Ice avalanches are mainly caused -through the overhanging portion of ice at the terminals of secondary -glaciers—that is, glaciers which break off before descending to the -valley or to the parent glacier below. The tracks of ice avalanches -are almost invariably unmistakable and are swept night and day without -cessation, and very frequently at regular intervals. - -Rock avalanches are more treacherous, and one never knows when to -expect them from above; generally in the early morning the frost -holds the stones above in an icy grip, but as the sun melts the ice -in the chinks the hold is released and a stone will descend into the -_couloirs_ or ditches which scarp the mountain side. If one happens -to be below then it is a case of _sauve qui peut_ and a rush for the -nearest protection, for there is no saying how many tons, or indeed how -many hundreds of tons, of loose rocks or stone may start in a wild and -dusty rattle down the hillside. - -But some snow avalanches almost crawl down the _couloirs_, and make a -strange and ever-continued hissing as they move. These are composed of -heavy and sodden snow, and begin after the sun has been up for some -hours, continuing until nightfall. These are not so dangerous on a -gentle slope, and one can often waddle or half glissade down in the -midst of one with perfect safety, though they make one uncomfortably -wet. - - -CORNICES - -Cornices are a frequent source of danger to the mountaineer. They are -formed by the snow drifting over one edge of a ridge and forming a -hanging mass. It is needless to say that one soon learns to walk some -feet away from the outer edge of a cornice, for after poking one’s -axe-handle through three feet of snow, and peeping through a blue hole -down a precipice of perhaps 1,000 feet or so, it is not difficult to -fancy what the result would be should the cornice break. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -CANOEING ON THE NEW ZEALAND RIVERS - - _The Waimakariri_—_The enormous rainfall_—_Descent of the Waitaki - River_—_The Tasman branch_—_Lake Pukaki_—_Leaky canoes_—_The - Pukaki Rapids_—_The Waitaki Gorge_—_Out on the plains again_—_Sixty - miles’ paddle to catch the train_—_Home once more_ - - -Canoeing on the New Zealand rivers is desperately exciting work. -On the west coast of the South Island there is a canoe club, whose -members build boats in watertight compartments specially suited for -the rough journeys which they undertake. Some of these men are adepts -at canoe-sailing, and think little of going out to sea in their -cockle-shells and even making long coastal journeys. The brothers Park -have established quite a reputation by their adventurous journeyings. -On one occasion they crossed the South Island with their canoes, -towing up the Teramakau River, crossing a saddle of 1,700 feet at its -head, descending the Hurunui and then coasting fifty miles down to -Christchurch. On another occasion the crossing of Cook Straits was -effected by them. - -On the eastern side of the island not much canoeing has been done, -with the exception of the navigation of two of the largest rivers (the -Waimakariri and Waitaki) from their sources to the sea by Mr. Dixon and -myself. - -I well remember how universal was the outcry against our attempting to -descend the Waimakariri in 1889, upon which occasion we conveyed the -canoes up to the head waters in the Southern Alps, and came down ninety -miles of rapids at a tremendous rate, going through the celebrated -gorge fourteen miles in length. Dixon reached Christchurch in one -day—a wonderful feat—but I was not able to accomplish more than half -the distance, and took two days over it. This involved a descent of -2,550 feet in altitude from the starting point. - -In the following year the Waimakariri was again navigated by myself -and three other kindred adventurous spirits, when a number of line -photographic views of the scenery in the gorge were secured. - -The descent of the Waitaki River, however, promised some exciting work, -in addition to giving a grand insight into the story of the ancient -glacier formation—a subject of great geological interest. - -The rainfall in the New Zealand mountain districts is enormously -heavy, as much or more than 150 inches per annum being registered in -some parts. The rivers consequently carry a phenomenal amount of water -for their length, and the calculations as to their discharge give -wonderful results. The Clutha River in Otago—the largest river of the -South Island—discharges as much water per annum as the Nile! It seems -a strange statement to make; but such is the fact, the calculations -having been made by competent men. - -[Illustration: IN THE ICE-FALL OF THE ONSLOW GLACIER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -The day following our return from Aorangi we left the Hermitage at 9 -A.M., and by 1 P.M. had begun our exciting journey of 140 miles to the -sea. - -The Tasman River takes its rise from the Tasman and Murchison Glaciers, -and is soon joined by the Hooker, which drains the Hooker and Mueller -Glaciers. Its course from Mount Cook to its delta at the head of Lake -Pukaki is thirty miles in length, and the fall is considerable, the -terminal face of the Tasman Glacier being 2,456 feet above sea-level, -whilst the altitude of Lake Pukaki is 1,717 feet. The first mile or two -of the journey was marked by several strong rapids, and we could not -avoid shipping much water; and, added to this, we soon found that some -old cracks in the canoes had opened out through exposure to the sun, -although they had been carefully covered over with sacking during our -absence in the mountains. This gave us some cause for anxiety, and the -discomfort of paddling in boats which were half full of water soon made -itself painfully apparent. Indeed, there is nothing more calculated -to put a man out of temper with all the world and his surroundings, -to goad him to strong language, and to give him an uncomfortable and -miserable time generally, than to have to sit for hours in a boat that -floats like an unmanageable log, to say nothing of the increase of -danger to which he is consequently exposed in some parts of a river -such as the Tasman, running, as it does, something approaching ten -knots in many places. - -I don’t think Dixon and myself are likely to forget the tortures of -the four hours which we passed through on reaching the lake. Here the -cracks in my boat, which was decidedly the worse of the two, had to -be jammed up with handkerchiefs, &c., before we dared to venture on a -journey of eight or nine miles to the ferry at the other end of the -lake, where is situated the exit of the Pukaki River. - -As we scraped over the sandy shallows and pushed off into deep-green -water, my heart sank within me at the idea of having to cross the lake -in its present rough state (for a strong nor’-wester was blowing) in -our frail canoes, which were not built in watertight compartments, and -were quite unsuited for the work. Every ten minutes or so I would have -to stop paddling and bale for dear life with the lid of the ‘billy,’ -and the craft would immediately swing round broadside on to the seas, -which seemed to do their best to upset her. - -At first we kept edging away for the southern shore, and about half-way -down the lake succeeded in getting within reasonable swimming distance, -which, to a certain extent, we retained for a short time. - -In the distance we could make out the island close to the ferry, with -some trees on it, and from our direction there appeared to be but -three. My thoughts at once flew back to the island on the Lake of -Geneva, which Byron has immortalised in his ‘Prisoner of Chillon,’ -and on which poor Bonnivard would gaze with sadness and yearning for -freedom and life. - - And then there was a little isle, - Which in my very face did smile, - The only one in view. - A small green isle, it seemed no more, - Scarce broader than my dungeon floor; - But in it there were three tall trees, - And o’er it blew the mountain breeze. - And by it there were waters flowing, - And on it there were young flowers growing - Of gentle breath and hue. - -I made sure my hair would be grey, like poor Bonnivard’s, before this -lake was crossed; but soon the wind dropped, and we paddled ashore at 9 -P.M. close to the hotel and called for brandy and water hot, and seldom -was the indulgence more justified. - -At Pukaki Ferry we enjoyed a well-earned night’s rest, and on Sunday -morning we effected repairs to the leaky canoes, in which operation -we received much valuable advice and assistance from Mr. John Gibb, -artist, who was spending a few days in sketching at this point. By 1 -P.M. we were on board again and looking forward to reaching Rugged -Ridges—Mr. W. G. Rutherfurd’s station on the southern bank of the -Waitaki—before nightfall. But we little knew what was ahead of us. - -A survey of the river from an eminence of the old moraine through which -it has formed a channel, revealed, as far as the bends of the stream -could be followed, a rushing, seething mass of foam-covered water, with -numberless blocks of rock barring the clear passage of the current, and -though we shot the first two rapids below the exit from the lake it -took us until seven o’clock in the evening to navigate six miles of the -river’s course. - -It is not easy to describe the wild course of the river in its descent -through the enormous ancient moraine deposits, some of which might -almost be classed as mountains, and must rear their tops to a height -of 1,000 feet above the level of the river. Such an immense body of -rushing water, receiving, as it does, the whole of the drainage of the -Southern Alps, from the head of the Mueller Glacier to that of the -Murchison, necessarily creates great havoc amongst the glacial and -fluviatile deposits through which it descends, and, as a matter of -course, all the smaller stones are hurried and rolled along to form -shingle on the river-beds further down, leaving the larger ones, which -alone can stand against the force of the flood. The natural consequence -is a stream of the most broken and impetuous character, a stream whose -rushing, roaring, and foaming drowns all sounds contiguous to it; -rapid after rapid of seemingly tempest-tossed and crested billows, -of whirlpools and eddies, of back-waters and heavings into surface -currents, and never a still pool to be found anywhere. - -Imagine, then, the troubles of two canoeists in navigating this stretch -of water. No canoe or boat in the world would have the slightest chance -of going through, out in the current, without being smashed into -match-wood and its occupants infallibly drowned, for swimming would -avail a man nothing in such a place. - -All we could do, then, was to keep close to the bank and let our frail -boats down by the tow-lines amongst the rocks in the comparatively -shallow water. Now shoving them off into a fair stretch and hauling -them up short in time to avoid contact with some ugly rock in front, -then scrambling along ourselves and coiling our lines as we advanced, -clambering over water-worn and slippery rocks, tearing our way -through the Wild Irishman scrub, or wading a few steps middle-deep in -the turbid water to the points where we had brought our respective -canoes up. Then repeating the same performance over again and again, -bruising our legs against rocks, slipping down amid the slimy stones, -scratching the skin off and receiving numerous thorns from the -scrub, wishing we had never been born, lamenting the hardships of our -lot, anathematising canoes, ropes, paddles, river, rocks, scrub, and -everything in creation. - -No, that seven miles journey was _not_ all that could be desired; but -having put our hands to the plough, we both made up our minds that we -would go through with the undertaking, even if we had to repeat the -same performance down to the sea every day for a week, and the worse -the river got the more pig-headed we became. We had beaten Mount Cook, -and we meant also to gain a victory over the Pukaki and Waitaki, if it -cost us our life-blood. At some places where a number of large rocks -were congregated close to the river’s bank we would be compelled to -take the boats out, and shouldering them, climb round the rocks on -shore, and launch them afresh in better water below. - -At one time, Dixon, who was leading, accidentally dropped his paddle, -which was whisked away by the current in a trice. He made a great -effort to recover it, and plunged in up to his armpits in the turbulent -water, but failed to reach the truant paddle. Seeing his difficulty I -pushed my boat out to him, and he seized my paddle and, jumping into -the canoe, gave chase to the one he had lost. I ran along the bank, -but could not keep near him; and in fear and trembling I watched him -nearing a horrible fall amongst some sharp teeth-like rocks. I thought -his last moment had come, but just before reaching the danger he -overtook the lost paddle, which he grasped with one hand, and, jumping -out of my canoe, held the tow-rope and brought the boat up within a few -feet of the fall. The whole affair was the work of a few moments, and -was a wonderful exhibition of smartness and presence of mind. - -By 7 o’clock we began to think that we had had about enough for the -day, and, putting the boats ashore, we walked back, over the old -moraine and along the rabbit fence (which, by the way, I hear is doing -its work splendidly), to the Pukaki Ferry for the night. - -By 7 A.M. next morning we were again with the canoes, and once more -performing gymnastic feats along the rocky bank. But our reward was now -near at hand, for after an hour or so we got on board and sneaked down -the quieter sides of one or two pools. The moraine deposits gave way to -those of fluviatile origin, and the size of the stones in the river-bed -decreased rapidly; consequently we soon began shooting the rapids again -and were making grand headway. The country on either hand opened out; -from our left came in the Tekapo River, and soon after, as we sped on -under Ben More, on our right the Ohau. Now we were in the Waitaki, -which is formed by the junction of these three rivers. ‘Waitaki,’ or -‘Waitangi,’ means ‘Crying water.’ - -The hydrographic area of the Waitaki Basin is 4,914 square miles, more -than three times as great as that of the Rakaia or Waimakariri, and it -drains most of the principal eastern slopes of the Southern Alps. - -The eastern source of the river drains the Godley and Classen Glaciers -with their numerous tributaries, forms the Godley River, and flows -into Lake Tekapo (some fifteen miles in length); it issues from the -southern end of the Lake and curves a channel for itself through the -ancient moraine, when it becomes known by the name of the Tekapo River, -which, flowing for a distance of about twenty-five miles, joins the -Pukaki; all these, with the addition of the Ohau, the junction of which -is a few miles further down, form the Waitaki River. The Hopkins and -Dobson Rivers drain that part of the Alps immediately south-west of -Mount Sefton, and flow into Lake Ohau. The stream issuing from thence, -under the name of the Ohau River, runs for a course of thirteen miles, -and joins the Pukaki and Tekapo as before mentioned. - -After the union of these three systems of drainage the course of the -river runs through a wider bed for about five or six miles before -entering a gorge some ten miles in length. Down this fine stretch of -water we now enjoyed a delightful paddle, and soon we sighted Black -Forest sheep station, with its rows of green willow trees, on our left. - -Here various kinds of river birds lent an aspect of life and gaiety to -the scene—gulls, terns, paradise and grey duck, teal, dotterel, stilt, -and red-bill soared over us, or rose in startled dismay as we shot by. - -We had left the snows behind us and were fast being closed in by the -foot-hills. We neared the gorge at 11 A.M. and paddled ashore on the -Otago side and boiled the ‘billy’ for lunch. - -It seemed a delightfully quiet hour after all we had been through; we -sat and smoked in happiness and watching the rabbits skipping about -amongst the bracken. We were certain, if only by that, that we were in -Otago, where rabbits are the monarchs of all they survey. - -The Mackenzie country hands had told us that we should find the gorge -_a little rough_, so we knew we were in for it presently; yet for a -couple of miles we found the river good going, though some ominous -spurs of bed rock now and then entering the current—the first bed rock -we had met with since leaving Mount Cook—foretold what we were coming -to. - -After going round a few ugly corners the white water became more -frequent, until suddenly we were brought up by an awkward rapid into -which we dared not venture. - -[Illustration: THE SURFACE OF A GLACIER - -[_Wheeler & Son, Photo._] - -A survey from the cliffs, sixty feet above the stream, disclosed a -tongue or groyn of rocks running out into the stream in an oblique -direction from the Otago side, and shooting the main body of the -current on to the rocks opposite. A long stretch of straight water -followed, but the whole stream was confined in rocky banks so close -together that one might throw a biscuit across, and the pace of the -current was something terrific. For half an hour we considered the -situation, finally determining to shoot the rapid. There was really -only about eight or ten feet of safe water close to the point of -the groyn of rocks, and this was right in the body of the current. -On either hand were eddies and whirlpools of the most formidable -character, which, in the event of our making a bad shot, might swirl us -among the rocks on one side or the other, and had such been the case -we trembled to think what would have been our fate. However, at it we -went, Dixon as usual leading, with a head as cool as a cucumber, -and I following, like a spaniel after his master. One wild rush, a -few strokes of the paddle, a mad tossing about in a sheet of crested -foam, half-a-dozen bucketfuls of water on board, and we were through, -breathing again as we tore down the hurrying, but straight and safe, -current below. - -Though we met with no greater obstacles to canoeing than this rapid in -the gorge, such performances were several times repeated, and we had to -land now and again to survey the course ahead. - -To describe the mad plunging of the river through the gorge is not an -easy matter. Here and there, perhaps, a long even stretch is met with, -but for the most part the river makes a succession of bends bounded -by rocky cliffs on either hand, now and then masses of rock crop up -through the water, against which the stream is banked up by the force -of its mad career to a height of ten or twelve feet; immediately under -the sides of the rock there are vicious-looking heavings, eddies, and -whirlpools, which, if one chances to get into them, twist the boat -about like a feather when blown upon the water’s surface. A black swan -and three cygnets kept ahead of us for the last six miles of the gorge, -but as we entered with relieved feelings upon the more open country, -they eluded our further pursuit in a backwater. Another few miles -and we reached our destination for the night—Mr. W. G. Rutherfurd’s -station, Rugged Ridges—where a warm and hospitable welcome made us -feel that once more we were in the regions of civilisation. - -Leaving next morning at 4.30, we gave ourselves eleven hours to -catch the train for Christchurch, at Waitaki, a distance by water -of sixty miles. Four hours saw us in Duntroon (thirty miles), where -we astonished the natives in disgracefully tattered boating attire, -and indulged in that from which we had long been estranged—‘a long -shandy’—and by 9.15 we were off again at eight miles an hour, shooting -down the most beautifully safe and rippling rapids, scaring ducks, -plover, gull, stilt, swan, and all manner of wild fowl; now and then -startling a mob of horses or cattle from their peaceful browsing, -or astonishing some slow-going shepherd or cowboy as they stared -open-mouthed at such an uncommon sight as two madmen in cockle-shells -of canoes rushing down their boatless river, until we put the final -touch to the whole enterprise by carrying our boats up to the station -at Waitaki South (to the amazement of four railway navvies), at 1 P.M., -having averaged eight miles an hour for sixty miles, allowing for one -hour stoppages. - -The distances by water, allowing for sinuosities in the course of -the rivers from Aorangi to the sea, may be roughly summarised as -follows:—From the end of the Mount Cook Range to Pukaki Ferry, -thirty-four miles; from the Ferry to Rugged Ridges, thirty-eight miles; -and from thence to the railway bridge near the sea at Waitaki, sixty -miles; a total distance of 132 miles. - -If it were not for the Pukaki Rapids the trip might be comfortably -accomplished in three days, and at a stretch could be done in two; -but the way to enjoy it would be to travel in a good staunch canoe, -with watertight compartments and such accessories as the west coast -canoeists are in the habit of using, and spend a week over the journey. - - - - -L’ENVOI - - -This little book has but told the story of the ramblings and adventures -of a lover of Nature. I fear that I have signally failed to do -justice to her features, or to convey any adequate idea of her mystic -influence. Would that I could impart that which I can feel. - -Should it fall into the hands of Swiss climbers it may serve to show -that the brotherhood of the mountains extends even to out-of-the-way -New Zealand, and that in that country, as well as in the Old World, the -ineffable glories of the mountains have power to charm and to captivate -the hearts of men. - - - - -APPENDIX - - -It has been suggested to me that this work would be more complete if -it contained at least a short record of Alpine expeditions undertaken -by parties (other than those organised by the writer) to the glacier -regions which have been under notice. The suggestion is one which the -writer accepts with much pleasure. - -The first recorded expedition to the Mount Cook district, as far as I -am able to gather, is that of the late Sir Julius von Haast (then Dr. -von Haast), the narrative of which may be found in his interesting and -learned work ‘The Geology of Canterbury and Westland,’ published by the -‘Times’ office of Christchurch, now unfortunately out of print, and -difficult of access to the majority. - -His work was necessarily more that of exploration than of climbing, -and although later surveys have corrected and modified many of his -estimates of the sizes of glaciers and heights of mountains, it must -be remembered that in the days when he visited the locality (in 1862 -and 1870) the difficulties of travelling and of securing supplies were -much greater than at the present time, and the work of exploration -consequently much more difficult. - -Of Alpine work (carried on in the sense of the word as understood by -Alpine climbers) he did not effect much, his energies being chiefly -confined to geological, botanical, and zoological observations whilst -he was engaged in a geological survey of the province of Canterbury. - -His excursions on the glaciers appear to have been confined to a short -trip up the Tasman, probably to some six miles or so from the terminal -face, and a short exploration of the lower portions of the Mueller and -Hooker Glaciers. - -His literary contributions are of greater value to science than to -the domain of Alpine record; but naturally they are of the deepest -interest to the latter class of literature, inasmuch as they tell the -tale of the opening out of fresh Alpine fields which are destined -to become—indeed they are now fast becoming—areas of great -mountaineering importance. - -Though Von Haast was perhaps the first man of science or literature to -visit these great glaciers, yet their existence was well known to a few -run-holders and early settlers who had penetrated even thus far into -the mountains in the ‘early days’ of New Zealand. - -It is to Mr. Edward Percy Sealy of Timaru, however, that we owe the -first close acquaintance of the Mueller, Hooker, and Tasman Glaciers. -Mr. Sealy was a surveyor by profession and a photographer of no mean -ability, and to his energy and perseverance we are indebted for results -which furnished Dr. von Haast with material for constructing his map of -this part of our Alps. - -Upon visiting the glaciers at the present time, and being impressed -with the difficulties of transit, one cannot but be filled with -admiration for the man who achieved such splendid results in -photography, burdened as he was with all the necessary and cumbersome -paraphernalia pertaining to the old wet-plate system then in vogue. - -Mr. Sealy traversed nearly the whole length of the Mueller Glacier in -1867, and in 1869 pushed his way up the Hooker as far as the tributary -Empress Glacier, and up the Tasman as far as the great turn at Mount De -la Bêche. - -To Mrs. Leonard Harper, of Ilam, belongs the honour of being the first -lady to cross to the Aorangi side of the Tasman River. - -On this occasion (in March 1873) the party consisted of Mr. and Mrs. -Leonard Harper, of Christchurch, Messrs. G. Dennistoun, G. Parker, -Melville Gray, Wright, C. Smith, and Flint. They camped at Governor’s -Bush, close to where the Hermitage now stands, and went on to the -Mueller Glacier and to the terminal face of the Tasman. Mr. and Mrs. -Harper returned across the Tasman River, leaving the rest of the -party to attempt the passage to the west coast by the Hooker Saddle, -at the head of the glacier of the same name. In this, as may be easily -conceived—considering that the members of the party were inexperienced -and not properly equipped for such an expedition—the party was -unsuccessful, only reaching a point just above where the clear ice -merges into the moraine, and where the crevasses began to appear -formidable. - -For many years after this the glaciers were not traversed to any extent -save by camping-out parties, who contented themselves with short -excursions about the terminal faces, until, in 1882, a fresh interest -was awakened in their existence by the visit of the Rev. W. S. Green -with Herr Emil Boss, of Grindelwald, and Ulrich Kaufmann as guide. -His advent was indeed an awakening, and the apathy of the Colonials -regarding the scenic marvels of their own country was somewhat aroused. -The sensation caused by his memorable ascent of Aorangi, after repeated -struggles with flooded rivers and all those hindrances which seem to -fall inevitably to the lot of men who first open out a new district, -has become quite an event of history in the annals of the colony. - -Full particulars of Mr. Green’s doings will be found in his admirable -book, ‘The High Alps of New Zealand,’ published by Macmillan & Co. - -To Mr. Green undoubtedly belongs the honour of having first introduced -into New Zealand the proper system of Alpine climbing, and he will ever -be looked back to as the father of the noble sport in the colony. - -Then, in 1883, followed the visit of Dr. R. von Lendenfeld, a -mountaineer and scientific man of great attainments. He was accompanied -by his plucky wife, and, aided by porters procured in the colony, -during a stay of nineteen days on the Tasman Glacier completed a survey -of the same, and finished up his work by ascending the Hochstetter -Dome, whose higher and easternmost summit he attained in an expedition -extending over a period of twenty-seven hours from his last camp under -the Malte Brun range, accompanied by his wife and one porter. - -Full particulars of his work were made public in Petermann’s -‘Mitteilungen,’[3] and a short English notice of the same may be found -in the ‘Alpine Journal,’ vol. xii. page 163. - -[Footnote 3: _Ergänzungsheft_, No. 75. Dr. R. von Lendenfeld, _Der -Tasman-Gletscher und seine Umgebung_.] - -Shortly after this the Hermitage Company, Limited, was formed, and -the Hermitage Hotel erected near the terminal face of the Mueller -Glacier. This first Alpine hotel of New Zealand was not built without -many serious difficulties, and the ultimate success of the undertaking -speaks volumes for the perseverance of the enthusiastic manager, Mr. -F. F. C. Huddleston. This gentleman has made various excursions on -the Mueller and Hooker Glaciers since the building of the Hermitage, -and possesses an intimate knowledge of the Alpine district around the -hotel. He has, with a party of two others, penetrated, I understand, as -far as the junction of the Empress Glacier on the Hooker, and has since -effected the passage of the Ball Pass from the Tasman to the Hooker -Glaciers. - -In 1886 the author began his visits to the districts with properly -equipped Alpine parties, the results of which expeditions have been -given in the foregoing pages. - -In 1889 the Government surveys were extended to the Mueller and -Hooker Glaciers, under Mr. Brodrick, a gentleman whose capability and -never-failing pluck in carrying out his work in such rough country is -only equalled by his modesty concerning his Alpine achievements, which -are necessarily incidental to his profession in the district. - -Those of my readers who are acquainted with survey and topographical -work amongst the Alps will appreciate the results of but two seasons’ -work in the map of the four great glaciers appended to this book. -Climbers will be interested to know that amongst difficult points -attained by Mr. Brodrick are the saddles at the head of the Mueller -Glacier, that connecting the Murchison and Classen Glaciers, the lower -summit of the Hochstetter Dome, and a peak of 8,015 feet on the Liebig -Range. - -In 1890, Mr. Malcolm Ross, of Dunedin, a gentleman who has done much -travelling and some exploring in the Southern Lakes district, and -had tried his ’prentice hand upon Mount Earnslaw, visited the Tasman -Glacier in company with his wife. Bad weather frustrated his attempts -at mountaineering, with the exception of an ascent of a peak of about -7,000 feet on the Mount Cook Range, and a partial ascent of Mount -Sealy. He traversed the Tasman Glacier to a point some miles beyond the -junction of the Hochstetter Glacier. - -In December 1890 Messrs. A. P. Harper, R. Blakiston, and Beadel made an -excursion to the Tasman Glacier, but bad weather kept them prisoners at -camp nearly all the time of their stay. Messrs. Harper and Blakiston, -after retreating from the Tasman, succeeded in reaching for the first -time the saddle at the head of the Hooker Glacier (8,580 feet), after -a trying expedition. This had been attempted several times before, but -owing to numberless crevasses was found to be unattainable. Being early -in the season and after a considerable snow-fall, however, the party -in question found the crevasses mostly covered, and they were aided, -moreover, by Mr. Harper’s skill and knowledge of Alpine work. - -Again, in January 1891, Messrs. Harper and Johnson visited the Tasman -Glacier, and besides attaining a high saddle (about 7,500 feet) in the -Malte Brun Range and making a nearly complete ascent of Mount Sealy, -secured a fine collection of photographs. - - * * * * * - -Such, in brief, is a history of what Alpine work has been accomplished -amongst the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Other glacier excursions, it -is true, there have been, but they are few, and with the exception of -the expeditions of Mr. Sealy and the Government Survey to the Godley -and Classen Glaciers farther north, and of a few attempts to climb -Mount Earnslaw in the Southern Lake district, are not worthy of much -note as Alpine expeditions, undertaken in the orthodox manner with axe -and rope. - -As these lines are being penned the New Zealand Alpine Club is in -process of formation, and the writer hears with pleasure of the -probabilities of success which are likely to attend the efforts of the -promoters of the club. - -Letters of advice and encouragement from prominent members of the -English Alpine Club have at various times come to hand, and the -friendly interest of mountain explorers of the early days of the -colony gives promise of an auspicious birth to one of those bodies of -enthusiasts whose aims may not be mercenary and self-seeking, but whose -operations may contribute their little unit to the art, literature, and -scientific observation of the times. - -Who can say what the future may bring forth in the matter of Alpine -climbing in New Zealand? There is an immense field—magnificent -glaciers and noble peaks without number, as yet practically untouched. - -One can already see visions of parties of enthusiasts threading their -way amongst intricate ice-falls, cutting steps up hard ice slopes, -conquering by persistent effort splendid rock peaks, drinking in the -glories of a new and fascinating world. Not climbing from a gymnast’s -point of view, but climbing because—why? They cannot tell you why; but -because they feel and know the physical and spiritual benefits of a -closer contact with Nature, with an Omnipotent and Ever-guiding Hand, -which rules all things and creates a heaven even upon earth. - - - - -_A SHORT GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL ALPINE TERMS._ - - -_Arête._—A ridge either of rock, ice, or snow, or combinations of all -three. - -_Bergschrund._—The crevasse or deep moat almost invariably found -between the sides and upper portions of a glacier or ice slope and the -rocks above, or the permanent clinging ice above, as the case may be. -Of late the meaning of the term has become extended, and almost any -crevasse in the upper parts of a glacier with one lip higher than the -other comes under the designation. - -_Col._—Saddle, or dip in a ridge. - -_Cornice._—The overhanging edge of an _arête_ caused by drifting snow. - -_Couloir._—A ditch or deep gully in the mountain side; in the upper -regions being usually floored with ice and swept by avalanches. - -_Crevasse._—The rent caused by fracture of the ice under tension. - -_Gendarme_, or _rock tower_.—A mass of rock on the crest of an _arête_. - -_Moraine._—The accumulation of detritus which has fallen from the -mountains on to the ice and is carried down upon it. - -_Névé_, or _firn_.—Snow in a transition stage between snow and ice. -The large fields of this feeding a glacier are spoken of as the _névés_ -of the glacier. - -_Séracs._—Blocks of ice broken into polyhedral masses (mostly cubic) -by the body of the ice being crevassed in various lines of fracture. So -called from the resemblance the blocks bear to a certain kind of cheese. - -_Shale slips_ and _shingle and boulder fans_ are of very common -occurrence in the New Zealand mountains and are caused by the discharge -of detritus down _couloirs_, from which when emerging it spreads out -into fan-shaped slopes. - - - PRINTED BY - SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE - LONDON - - -[Illustration: _Longmans, Green & Co., London & New York._ - -_F. S. Weiler._] - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - -Footnote numbers have been changed to 1, 2 and 3, to avoid confusion. - -The spelling of Ranunculus lyalii in the Table of Illustrations and -on Page 86 have been corrected to lyallii. (The species was discovered -by David Lyall, a noted Scottish botanist and doctor.) -Ranunculus lyallii is spelt correctly on Page 9. - -Obvious punctuation errors were corrected. - -The changes are as follows: - - In the CONTENTS, Chapter III—river-crossing changed to river crossing. - Page 10—northeastern changed to north-eastern. - Page 12—ice-streams changed to ice streams. - Page 30—river bed changed to river-bed. - Page 30—downstream changed to down-stream. - Page 35—breakwind changed to break-wind. - Page 54—look-out changed to look out. - Page 55—life-time changed to lifetime. - Page 66—shangai changed to shanghai. - Page 84—ice-blocks changed to ice blocks. - Page 89—one day changed to one-day. - Page 93 and Page 139—mountain-side changed to mountain side. - Page 97—red-sandstone changed to red sandstone. - Page 101—step cutting changed to step-cutting. - Page 103—foot-hold changed to foothold. - Page 114—water-courses changed to watercourses. - Page 119—cockleshells changed to cockle-shells. - Page 120—starting-point changed to starting point. - Page 126—rabbit-fence changed to rabbit fence. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH AXE AND ROPE IN THE NEW ZEALAND -ALPS*** - - -******* This file should be named 60919-0.txt or 60919-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/6/0/9/1/60919 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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