Snow fell on the night of May 20-21, and ushered in one of the rare windless days of that season. Towards sunset, while scanning the north ridge of Everest for signs of the first climbing party, we made out four dark specks descending the great, broad snow slopes of the lower section of the north ridge. They were the four members of the first climbing party making their way back to the North Col after their attempt upon the mountain. It appeared to us that they were more or less exhausted, so on the morning of the 22nd, acting on orders by Colonel Strutt, who, as eldest man, had with utter unselfishness stood down from the first party, Geoffrey Bruce, Wakefield, Tejbir and I, together with eight porters, set out for the North Col with the triple object of rendering assistance to the first climbing party, of replenishing stores in the North Col Camp and of giving the oxygen apparatus a final, thorough try-out. A longish tramp across the gently-rising basin at the head of the East Rongbuk Glacier led to the foot of the steep snow and ice slopes up which one must mount to gain the col. The first climbing party were making their way down towards us, and we eventually met them a short distance above the foot of the final slopes. Most of them seemed practically at the end of their tether and were hardly able to speak coherently. Norton, weather-beaten and with obvious traces of having undergone immense strain, gave us a brief account of their climb. On the night of the 20th they had camped at a height of 25,000 feet, and next morning, Morshead having already suffered too much from the effects of cold and altitude to be able to go farther, Norton, Mallory and Somervell had climbed on until, at 2.30 p.m. on the 21st, they had reached the enormous altitude of 26,800 feet above sea-level as then indicated by the aneroid they carried.[17]
There they had to confess themselves beaten, and return. Snow had fallen on the night of the 20th, but they had been blessed with a calm day for their climb. Retracing their steps, they had rejoined Morshead in their high camp, and all four had continued the descent to the North Col camp, where they had passed the night. Such, in brief, is the history of the first attempt on Mount Everest. We gave them food and drink, then, leaving Dr. Wakefield to see them safely down to Camp III, Geoffrey Bruce, Tejbir and I, together with our porters, went on towards the col. The slopes below the col were laden with fresh snow, probably most of it wind-borne and drifted. Not liking the conditions, and in order to make sure of running no risks of loosening snow-shields or avalanches, I avoided zig-zagging across doubtful slopes by working straight up, cutting steps where necessary. Thus we ascended in safety as far as the foot of the last, almost vertical ice cliff above which lay the camp. This cliff would hardly have yielded to a frontal attack, but I found that a safe traverse across a steep snow slope on the left could be made by keeping to the snow-buried, lower lip of a diminutive crack in the ice. Shortly before the crack came to an end, and with it the security against the risk of treading loose a snow-shield, it became possible to strike directly up towards the camp; not, however, without some slight indication of demur on the part of a few of the porters, who could not understand why, instead of choosing an obviously easy slope, I should deliberately choose a more difficult way up a much steeper one. But they followed cheerfully enough, and I think that some of them at least saw method in my madness. Three hours after setting out from Camp III, we arrived at the North Col Camp. Of this time forty-five minutes had fallen to halts, chiefly our meeting with the first party. The difference in height between the two camps is about 2,000 feet. We had, therefore, ascended at the rate of nearly one thousand feet an hour, quite a good average rate of progression even in the Alps. We had used oxygen. If such had been necessary, this were testimony enough of its advantages.
Arrived at the North Col, we dumped a supply of oxygen cylinders, food and other tackle and then sat down to look round and thoroughly enjoy things. The porters were amazed at the pace which we had been able to maintain, despite the fact that our loads were, on the whole, far heavier than theirs; and for the first time they began to take a lively interest in the oxygen apparatus. Geoffrey Bruce was called upon to explain its workings. He told them that I could climb well in the Alps because the “English air” about those mountains suited me. But Himalayan air disagreed with me, and I had, therefore, brought out a supply of the more vigorous air. Just to show them how strong “English air” is, I turned a stream of oxygen from my apparatus on to the glowing end of a cigarette, which thereupon flared up and spluttered with a brilliant white light. A better audience for this perhaps most beautiful of all laboratory experiments, carried out at 23,000 feet above sea-level, could not have been desired.
The view from the col is magnificent. Everest shows up to far greater advantage from this point than from the Base Camp. It still lacks beauty, but, owing to its nearness, had gained enormously, almost overwhelmingly, in size. We could trace out almost every inch of the way we hoped soon to follow to the summit. As the North Col is the depression on the ridge connecting Everest and the North Peak, we had only to turn round to see the latter, less immense but of far more pleasing appearance than its massive neighbour. The most remarkable feature of the view, however, was the jumble of séracs and great ice cliffs perched just above the camp. The untrained observer would, doubtless, have thought these unstable and a menace to the existence of the little tents; it need hardly be said that these would never have been pitched upon a terrace exposed to the dangers of falling ice; mountaineers are not quite so foolish and foolhardy as many people are inclined to believe.
That afternoon we all returned to Camp III. On the journey home we halted frequently, taking in all two dozen photographs. And yet, in less than fifty minutes after leaving the col, we were back in Camp III. All possible doubts as to the great advantages of oxygen, even when administered by means of the rather experimental and bulky apparatus with which we were supplied, were now at an end.
The North Peak and the North Col Camp.
Facing page 314.