I have not the slightest doubt that Burgener's objection to this slope was exclusively due to the fact that we had never previously been together on this sort of work. It was obviously practicable, but it was equally obvious that the slip of one meant the destruction of all who were roped to him. Subsequent experience enables me to sympathise with his feelings. The knowledge that you can do nothing to arrest a slip, combined with a lively fear that one may occur, creates as unpleasant a situation as it is easy to imagine. The fear of slipping oneself is almost a delight when compared with the trap-like feeling induced by the rope with an "unknown quantity" at the end of it.
Our halts at this point and on the third tooth had exceeded two hours, and we had no more time to lose. Petrus seemed to be getting on all right, so Burgener made ready for the traverse. Though by no means a big man in the valley, on an ice glazed slope he seems to visibly dilate, and looks like a veritable giant when wielding his resistless axe. For some reason, probably to get a decent excuse for unroping Gentinetta and saving him from the risk of the "unknown quantity,"[1] Burgener told us to pay him out till he should
- ↑ On more than one occasion I have found Burgener attempting to save others from risks which he himself was running, by various more or less transparent devices. To those who know him it is needless to add that he never allows others to run risks from which he himself is exempt.
