Matterhorn (Switzerland and Italy); Mountaineering
by pressure the moment it stopped, and I was frozen in. Whilst
trying vainly to move my arms, I suddenly became aware that the
hands as far as the wrist had the faculty of motion. The
conclusion was easy, they must be above the snow. I set to work as
well as I could; it was time, for I could not have held out much
longer. At last I saw a faint glimmer of light. The crust above my
head was getting thinner, but I could not reach it any more with
my hands; the idea struck me that I might pierce it with my
breath. After several efforts I succeeded in doing so, and felt
suddenly a rush of air towards my mouth. I saw the sky again
through a little round hole. A dead silence reigned around me; I
was so surprised to be still alive, and so persuaded at the first
moment that none of my fellow-sufferers had survived, that I did
not even think of shouting for them. I then made vain efforts to
extricate my arms, but found it impossible; the most I could do
was to join the ends of my fingers, but they could not reach the
snow any longer. After a few minutes I heard a man shouting; what
a relief it was to know that I was not the sole survivor! to know
that perhaps he was not frozen in and could come to my assistance!
I answered; the voice approached, but seemed uncertain where to
go, and yet it was now quite near. A sudden exclamation of
surprise! Rebot had seen my hands. He cleared my head in an
instant, and was about to try and cut me out completely, when I
saw a foot above the snow, and so near to me that I could touch it
with my arms, although they were not quite free yet. I at once
tried to move the foot; it was my poor friend’s. A pang of agony
shot through me as I saw that the foot did not move. Poor B. had
lost sensation, and was perhaps already dead. Rebot did his best:
after some time he wished me to help him, so he freed my arms a
little more so that I could make use of them. I could do but
little, for Rebot had torn the axe from my shoulder as soon as he
had cleared my head (I generally carry an axe separate from my
alpenstock—the blade tied to the belt, and the handle attached to
the left shoulder). Before coming to me Rebot had helped Nance out
of the snow; he was lying nearly horizontally, and was not much
covered over. Nance found Bevard, who was upright in the snow, but
covered up to the head. After about twenty minutes the two
last-named guides came up. I was at length taken out; the snow had
to be cut with the axe down to my feet before I could be pulled
out. A few minutes after one o’clock P.M. we came to my poor
friend’s face.... I wished the body to be taken out completely,
but nothing could induce the three guides to work any longer, from
the moment they saw that it was too late to save him. I
acknowledge that they were nearly as incapable of doing anything
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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