< Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 82.djvu
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
562
THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY
mass of rock, but it is my belief from the movements of their shoulders, that Croz, having done as I have said, was in the act of turning round to go down a step or two himself; at this moment Mr. Hadow slipped, fell against him and knocked him over. I heard one startled exclamation from Croz, then saw him and Mr. Hadow flying downward: in another moment Hudson was dragged from his steps, and Lord F. Douglas immediately after him. All this was the work of a moment. Immediately we heard Croz's exclamation, old Peter and I planted ourselves as firmly as the rocks would permit: the rope was taut between us, and the jerk came on us both as on one man. We held, but the rope broke midway between Taugwalder and Lord Francis Douglas. For a few seconds we saw our unfortunate companions sliding downward on their backs, and spreading out their hands, endeavoring to save themselves. They passed from our sight uninjured, disappeared one by one, and fell from precipice to precipice on to the Matterhorngletscher below, a distance of nearly four thousand feet in height. From the moment the rope broke it was impossible to help them. So perished our comrades.

Only Whymper and two of the guides were saved by the breaking of the rope.

For the space of half an hour we remained on the spot without moving a single step. The two men, paralyzed by terror, cried like infants. . . . Old Peter rent the air with exclamations of "Chamonix! Oh, what will Chamonix say?" He meant, "Who would believe that Croz could fall?" The young man did nothing but scream or sob, "We are lost! we are lost!" Fixed between the two I could neither move up nor down.

It was hours afterward before they descended the mountain and some days before the bodies of three of the unfortunates were rescued; that of Lord Francis Douglas was never found. Some day, perhaps, it will come forth fresh and life-like from the foot of the glacier.

Such were the difficulties of Alpine climbing in 1865. Scarcely can we realize to-day what an achievement this was. Says Javelle in his "Souvenirs d'un Alpiniste ":

After the first ascent of Mont Blanc and until that of Everest the most beautiful conquest of the climbers is certainly the Matterhorn.

Besides his own trials, Whymper describes seven other well-organized attempts to scale the mountain that had been made during the half-dozen years preceding his achievement. The fearful cold, snow storms and almost cyclonic winds of the upper reaches, contributed to the discomfiture of these earlier parties. One might add that while these other climbers were fine, bold mountaineers, they lacked the extraordinary preparedness and resourcefulness, amounting almost to luck, of Edward Whymper.

It may be said that this ascent made little direct contribution to the sum of knowledge. It did have the effect, however, of awakening a widespread interest in the Alps. Of course, the terrible accident contributed not a little to this result. The next few years witnessed the

    This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.